Severe drought now hits many parts of Thailand

[webfact]

Drought now hits many parts of the country



BANGKOK: -- The severe drought that is currently affecting many parts of the country has forced the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to order conditions in 32 provinces to be closely monitored.

The government has also made available funds and equipment that will allow around 6,000 artesian wells to be dug to provide alternative water supplies for residents in these provinces.

The Department of Groundwater Resources has accordingly been given three months to locate and survey new places to drill for possible subterranean water sources.

Drought-hit areas are provinces in the lower Northern and the upper Central regions, especially in Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani and Kamphaeng Phet provinces which are suffering from severe water shortage.

The situation has reached crisis level at Lam Takong dam where irrigation officials here have had to post notices forbidding farmers behind the dam in Si Khew, Soong Noen and Kham Talae Sor districts from planting off-season rice.

This was due to the fact that water level at the dam has fallen so low as to not be able to support rice farming.

But many farmers located along irrigation canals that encompass an area totaling 50,000 rai still defy the ban and have clandestinely pumped water into their rice fields.

Some also fenced off their fields with barbed wire to prevent officials making checks.

Meanwhile residents in Yasothorn province area also faced similar situation after severe drought brought about the drying-up of waters in the Mae Nam Chee river.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/147209


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-19

[DavisH]

This is looking bad....better stock up on bottle water and be prepared to bath in the local dirty klong Rice farmers will continue to pant rice until the river runs dry. Nothing will change their minds.

[Mango Bob]

We only get water if at all a few hours a day. Some days none at all. I feel so sorry for those who have no storage tank. We have had the firetruck come and full up all the water tanks in our village. Almost required to have a tank nowadays.

[NCC1701A]

bad luck for Thailand.

what if the drought goes on into 2017?

no rice.

[worgeordie]

Well this is no surprise,to me anyway,3 years of less and less rainfall,

BUT now the Government are looking for solutions,if this next rainy

season does not produce enough rain,there will be dire consequences

regards worgeordie

[Eddy B]

I wonder what they will do in April when Songkran festival comes. I am hoping they will stop it being the mental 3 day gauntlet that it has been for the last few years when driving a motorbike where I live.

[GinBoy2]

I wonder what they will do in April when Songkran festival comes. I am hoping they will stop it being the mental 3 day gauntlet that it has been for the last few years when driving a motorbike where I live.

If you lived here for any length of time I would suggest you can pose that question and already know the answer!

I fully expect the insanity will prevail as usual regardless of impending water supply doom

[sup3r1or]

This is not good and the burning has already started..... not looking forward to it.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Of course there is a drought, just yesterday a Gov official said there would be not drought for the next 3 months and things should be ok after that.

Whenever the Gov says things are one way, you can bet that the opposite is the truth.

[mango66]

This is looking bad....better stock up on bottle water and be prepared to bath in the local dirty klong Rice farmers will continue to pant rice until the river runs dry. Nothing will change their minds.

how to educate an-alphabets ??

[WitawatWatawit]

Quote:

Some also fenced off their fields with barbed wire to prevent officials making checks.

Something odd there. That would require an awful lot of barbed wire and cost an awful lot of money (for a rice farmer). If true, this smacks of an incredible gamble. There's every chance the crop won't survive through to harvest. But perhaps these farmers believe they can tap enough water (at the expense of the community), and will then rely on earning a bumper price for their grain (to pay for the barbed wire) when they finally get it to market - except no one will have the money to buy, and the govt will be dipping into grain reserves to feed the people.

[elgordo38]

bad luck for Thailand.

what if the drought goes on into 2017?

no rice.

Don't panic Songkran will happen come hell or high water.

[elgordo38]

I wonder what they will do in April when Songkran festival comes. I am hoping they will stop it being the mental 3 day gauntlet that it has been for the last few years when driving a motorbike where I live.

Not a hope in H__L

[Srikcir]

Prayut government take action?

Six months ago (2015-06-24):

"Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday voiced concern over the current water shortages which has become a national crisis for the country's farmers.

The water shortage for farming has reached a point which water rationing is necessary, particularly along the Chao Phraya river basin, under which, upstream, midstream and downstream farmers were allocated time slots to pump water released from reservoir into irrigation canals at certain amount.

But despite of the pleas, water poaching continued, prompting the Royal Irrigation Department to seek the intervention of the military to tackle the problem.

In referring to military intervention in solving the water poaching problem in some areas in the river basin, Prime Minister Gen Prayut said this stems from the lack of faith in local administrative bodies which has necessitated the intervention of military personnel.

He stated that this must be viewed as only a temporary measure as no one can realistically expect the military to oversee every area in the country and effective measures must be found to address the issue.

The prime minister stressed that local administrative bodies make sure that they must assume a bigger role in the matter.

He ordered all relevant cabinet ministers to come up with measures to aid farmers who are suffering badly from the affects of severe water shortage.

Accordingly, he ordered the cabinet to take steps to handle the matter to and hasten aid to stricken farming community."

FAILED

[Chicog]

There's no need to panic lads, they're "closely monitoring" it.

[SOTIRIOS]

...not sure how any of this works....

...there was a heavy rain for half an hour or so near D.M. Airport this afternoon....

...anywhere else in the country....???

[Oziex1]

Last year they said 50,000 water wells were to be drilled, did any get done.

Thought not.

So what is this years empty promise?

[swissie]

There's no need to panic lads, they're "closely monitoring" it.

They have been "monitoring" it closely for months.

[rebelplatoon]

It'll get worse before it gets better. Groundwater levels have sunk 2 1/2 meters! In 33 years never seen anything like it... Keep burning, keep spraying golf courses.

[reggaebkk]

And 20 Billion littres of clean water will be squandered next Songrkan, as usual.

Why?

Because.

[swissie]

I am not a clairvoyant, but sooner or later the order will be issued, that the flushing of Toilets will represent an "unpatriotic" act.

Cheers.

[SiSePuede419]

"Some also fenced off their fields with barbed wire to prevent officials making checks"

Oh, look! Barbed wire! Guess we can't go over there and check.

But we could crawl through the barbed wire...

Mai pen Rai. They're only taking water illegally.

[nong38]

And 20 Billion littres of clean water will be squandered next Songrkan, as usual.

Why?

Because.

Its Thai tradition and culture which must be kept alive at all costs, think of it as a form of Thainess, then all the problems will disappear, under the carpet.

[Ombra]

...not sure how any of this works....

...there was a heavy rain for half an hour or so near D.M. Airport this afternoon....

...anywhere else in the country....???

It rained lightly in Nakhon Phanom this morning and then heavily in the afternoon.

[joebrown]

And 20 Billion littres of clean water will be squandered next Songrkan, as usual.

Why?

Because.

Tourism and the Baht trump everything, even common sense.

[joebrown]

bad luck for Thailand.

what if the drought goes on into 2017?

no rice.

Don't panic Songkran will happen come hell or high water.

Shouldn't that be "hell or low water"?

[ramrod711]

Last year they said 50,000 water wells were to be drilled, did any get done.

Thought not.

So what is this years empty promise?

August 2015---506 of 511 wells completed http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-dgr-groundwater-drilling-nears-completion/110539/

[Oziex1]

Last year they said 50,000 water wells were to be drilled, did any get done.

Thought not.

So what is this years empty promise?

August 2015---506 of 511 wells completed http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-dgr-groundwater-drilling-nears-completion/110539/

So it was 511, Ha I'm so used to grandiose numbers being thrown around, 511 better than none but they have some work to do.

[Ulic]

Plenty of rice in storage, thanks Yingluck.

[stoneyboy]

Plenty of rice in storage, thanks Yingluck.

Plenty of spare cash floating about as well,have you read the Forbes rich list lately.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Thais_by_net_worth

There's a few missing folk as well.