Looming drought in North

CHIANG MAI: -- This year's drought is looming in many areas of northern Thailand where artificial rain is soon needed.

Head of Artifician Rain Operational Centre in Upper North Somchai Suthinarueparp said on Saturday that many districts located in the North of Bhumibol Dam in Tak Province had begun to face the drought.

They include Lee and Ban Hong in Lamphun; Serm Ngam, Mae Prik and Som Prab in Lampang; Hod, Doi Tao, Chomthong and Mae Cham in Chiang Mai and Mae Sa Riang and Mae La Noi in Mae Hong Son.

The centre would begin to launch artifician rain services in the areas to meet local demand for water, both in households and in the agricultural sector, in late February or early March in time for the coming dry season, said Mr. Somchai.

--TNA 2006-01-21

I don't follow the logic. The rainy season lasted a month longer than usual. There were four floods in Chiangmai, as opposed to one every four years and it pissed down at christmas. How can anybody claim there's a drought ?

Nothing unusual about it, they issue the same warning every year

With the north having as much rain, floods and whatnot as they had, it must be down to bad management; not enough storage, high wastage etc.

This is just Head of Artifician Rain Operational Centre in Upper North Somchai Suthinarueparp promoting his agency. He has some cousins and close friends who own airplanes and they need to buy some gold for their wives for Chinese New Year and they are short on funds so its time to have a drought warning to clear the way for cloud seeding which will result in "Pennies from Heaven" for Somchai and his family and friends....I'm sooooo cynical....

I live in Chiangrai and the water has been flowing non-stop in the irrigation canal that passes by my land since Jan 4th (day and night non stop) and it has been so high that it has gone over the road twice by may place and I'm the last person on the canal that is using water and a huge volume just keeps going by me every day that no one wants and it is just dumped in the river and wasted.....maybe they know that Khun Somchai will be making a downpour soon so they are emptying the reservoir to make room for the new water.....no one around here seems to know why they are doing this.....of course most Thai people don't ask questions about why the gov't officials do things the way they do.....