Ministries told to 'find solutions' as farmers ignore drought warnings

[eliotness]

No one can deny that past governments failed to adequately address drought in Thailand.

However, the junta runs the show now (have done for 18 months). In this time they have done SFA about water conservation, significantly throughout this year (when plenty of alarm bells were ringing about the severity of the el Niño).

Only now, does Prayut seem to show any interest. So, it should come as no surprise that farmers refuse to play his game.

If, as we are being told, the situation is an imminent drought crisis, then why has the junta not introduced strict water restrictions across the affected river catchments (especially those supplying water to Bangkok).

Denying farmers water for their livelihood, while continuing to allow city dwellers and industry unrestricted use only rubs salt into (farmers) wounds.

You should see the difference in water use between 1 city dweller and 1 farmer doing rice farming. [

On average, the worlds rice fields use some 1,400 liters of water by evaporation and transpiration to produce 1 kilogram of paddy ricewhich is on the same order of magnitude as what wheat uses (see Rice Today, Vol. 8 (1), p 28-29).

That is many times more as what a normal city dweller uses. So the farmers as usual are stealing from normal (and often also poor) city dwellers. The water machines wont work with salty water in BKK and the poor who use them will be forced to buy water costing them up to 10x more as the water machines.

If you think this was the first warming the government gave over water management then you must have been sleeping this has been going on for months now. If anyone is to blame its El Nino and the previous governments who let out too much water from the dams and of course the rice scheme that encouraged even more water usage on rice and at 1.400 liters of water per KG that adds up too.

Farmers should be forced and the army should be deployed to police them, at the same time compensation should be given (just this time). Farmers should switch crops in future (too late now so compensation, later give them money to diversify) make sure farmers are not always waiting for handout.

So what are you basing the consumption of a city dweller on ? If it's their domestic consumption then you are very wide of the mark as you need to consider what their workplace uses too. So a city dweller working for a brewery will per person use vastly more than a small farmer, likewise the metal processing industry, the electric generating industry, the meat processing industry etc etc. It's a very complicated comparison.

[scorecard]

You can blame nobody for the shortage of water,it is nature who is taking care of that.

Who are you going to blame for farmers(fishermen, people stealing land etc) for not listening to the government?

Yes, the government themselves for allowing the mai pen rai attitude and the ability to pay your way out of trouble.

It is the lack of law enforcement(turning a blind eye) and if you look around you can see it every where,it has seemed to work for some but it looks like the tide is turning.

There has to be a big change in attitude both from government and the general population but i doubt that will bring back happiness to the people.

The result will be a more controlled country but it will be a very long time before Thailand will be a so called nanny state.

Interesting observations, I fully agree it's going to take a long time to seriously reduce the 'mai pben rai' attitude and get more / most folks to respect the rule of law. And it will certainly be a bumpy ride.

[robblok]

So what are you basing the consumption of a city dweller on ? If it's their domestic consumption then you are very wide of the mark as you need to consider what their workplace uses too. So a city dweller working for a brewery will per person use vastly more than a small farmer, likewise the metal processing industry, the electric generating industry, the meat processing industry etc etc. It's a very complicated comparison.

Of course you don't add their workplace that is totally different. Workplace is the industry they can put measures in place for that too. But private use of city dwellers uses much less water as farming.

[baboon]

The powerful in Thailand have striven to create a people who are under educated and beholden to them. Now we see the reverse side of the coin: This is what you wanted, now you deal with it. You have no-one to blame but yourselves. If your idea of a resolution involves starving, jailing or shooting people, fair enough, but don't expect to sleep soundly in your beds and contemplating that nice morning dip in the pool before a hearty breakfast. Desperate people have little or nothing to lose...

Edited November 8, 2015 by baboon

[Bluespunk]

"But farmers have lambasted us. They say when such an order comes out, those who don't cooperate have always managed to earn money from their farmland," he said."

Gaol those who don't 'co-operate'.

You will end up jailing an awful lot of people, essentially for being poor!

Should do wonders for" reconciliation".

I don't have a solution to hand, but I'm pretty sure banging up the males in farming villages isn't it.

Yep, but the solution to a drought is not using up more of the water intended for everyone.

[farmerjo]

Well if thats the case,you might as well shut every hotel/motel in thailand.

[Mudcrab]

Bangkok should be on water restrictions right now.

What a lot of people don't understand is that majority of rice farmers are subsistence farmers....they eat what they grow.

When they can't grow - they starve.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Mudcrab

[JAG]

They should stay in line, ie. sod the peasants, post soldiers with M-16's at the fields. Why bother delaying the inevitable.

Since many of the soldiers are the conscripted sons of poor rice farmers, I can see that going down a storm!

[elgordo38]

It's quite easy for people to be sanctimonious when commenting on this, but consider this;

If you are a poor farmer sitting on the average farm of 4 hectares, with little education and little alternative employment opportunities what do you do? There is no unemployment insurance, so social safety net, so it's either plant and hope for the best or starve.

This has been a problem in the making for decades, regardless of water. Farming is a question of scale, nobody anywhere in the world in going to become a millionaire farming 4 hectares, but the elite class who have governed this country have all (regardless of color) been quite happy to ignore the poor, their education and future

Educate them and get give them employment opportunities to get them off the land and allow land consolidation to occur, which may have allowed farms to be of a sufficient size to do all those wonderful sound bites that many on here love to spout, 'crop diversification' 'leave the land fallow' etc etc

This current water crisis is just a symptom of the underlying crisis and division that bedevils this country

As my old grandmother always said "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink" Please read the following quote and tell me what you see wrong. Quote Sansern said the limited water supply could be affected if factories continued to release wastewater into public waterways and if farmers used water for paddy fields outside the rainy season. unquote what the H factories releasing waste water into public waterways is this breaking the law or not?. Farmers are supposed to respect the law and factories can do as they damn well please. What an imbalance of law enforcement.

[elgordo38]

Its not going to be fixed with only words , Prayut will be fine as the government pay his salary yes its easy to talk but this issue needs to be resolved and only action will resolve it,

If they paid Mr. P by the words he speaks or promises he proposes he would definitely have a huge increase in salary

[elgordo38]

No one can deny that past governments failed to adequately address drought in Thailand.

However, the junta runs the show now (have done for 18 months). In this time they have done SFA about water conservation, significantly throughout this year (when plenty of alarm bells were ringing about the severity of the el Niño).

Only now, does Prayut seem to show any interest. So, it should come as no surprise that farmers refuse to play his game.

If, as we are being told, the situation is an imminent drought crisis, then why has the junta not introduced strict water restrictions across the affected river catchments (especially those supplying water to Bangkok).

Denying farmers water for their livelihood, while continuing to allow city dwellers and industry unrestricted use only rubs salt into (farmers) wounds.

Restricting water supply to Bangkok are you kidding. That is grounds for treason. Up against the wall put a blindfold on and brace yourself.

[Ulic]

The farmers should be paid a set amount per rai (say 2,000 baht) not to plant and those

who do plant should be fined the same amount per rai. Carrot and stick.

[springheeled jack]

theres an old saying you can take a horse to water but you cant make it drink you can apply the same rule to the farmers they will do what they have always done regardless of a drought situation .

[tuanku]

"But farmers have lambasted us. They say when such an order comes out, those who don't cooperate have always managed to earn money from their farmland," he said."

Gaol those who don't 'co-operate'.

You will end up jailing an awful lot of people, essentially for being poor!

Should do wonders for" reconciliation".

I don't have a solution to hand, but I'm pretty sure banging up the males in farming villages isn't it.

Additionally, should the military at some point feel inclined to allow people to elect their own government, these rice farmers and other rural Thais are going to have the votes that will decide the outcome. Alienating them is hardly a good strategy - even for a General.

[JAG]

"But farmers have lambasted us. They say when such an order comes out, those who don't cooperate have always managed to earn money from their farmland," he said."

Gaol those who don't 'co-operate'.

You will end up jailing an awful lot of people, essentially for being poor!

Should do wonders for" reconciliation".

I don't have a solution to hand, but I'm pretty sure banging up the males in farming villages isn't it.

Additionally, should the military at some point feel inclined to allow people to elect their own government, these rice farmers and other rural Thais are going to have the votes that will decide the outcome. Alienating them is hardly a good strategy - even for a General.

A good point. However I don't think the junta envisage that ever occurring, so it won't be one of the headings to be considered when they are doing their appreciation and plan!

Edited November 8, 2015 by JAG

[Srikcir]

Rice farmers need to survive.

The military needs its missiles and submarines.

Guess who prevails?

[robblok]

Rice farmers need to survive.

The military needs its missiles and submarines.

Guess who prevails?

Budgets are set, we can discuss about what is fair and not in budgets and if the military needs less or more. Since 2013 the budget of the military has been increased with 1,1% quite a bit but the PTP did off budget spendings up to 10% extra for the farmers for the rice program. So during PTP the farmers increase ins spending was 10x as much as the military increase. (nice vote buying scheme)

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS/countries?display=map

also if you look at the military spending of Thailand in % of GDP its not extreme or much different from the rest of the world.

But hey don't let facts get in the way of a good junta bash. (there are other things I can bash them for that are right)

[fred Kubasa]

Use the normal solutions for those disobying a law - the same solution

that got rid of thousands of those rich vendors everywhere, Send in troops, destroy plantings, burn down their houses and scatter those troublesome

people who grow our food !