Thailand: Ministry of Interior preparing to cope with drought season

BANGKOK (NNT) – The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Interior has reiterated to all local officials across the nation that they must adhere to water management guidelines during the drought season while also urging farmers to cooperate with the government and desist from planting crops during this period. 

Permanent Secretary of Interior Krisada Boonrach has issued an urgent order to all provincial governors, chiefs, local administrative offices and village headmen to begin enacting water management plans. He also made known a working group is being set up to survey water levels across the nation so the government will have clear statistics on how much water is available for agriculture and daily usage. 

The ministry is also encouraging adopting of His Majesty the late King’s sufficiency economy philosophy to help preserve water as well as the utilization of local wisdom to better maintain resources. It has resolved to apply lessons learned from previous droughts to avoid a repeat of issues. Nonetheless, it is asserting a need for cooperation from the public. 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has already begun studying 2 locations being impacted by drought for Royal Rainmaking and may perform rainmaking above crucial dams to replenish them before the drought intensifies. 

The Royal Irrigation Department has set about persuading farmers to not plant another crop during the season once they have harvested their current crops. They are to wait until May to begin farming activities again. Those who persist to farm may be hit with legal repercussions. 

Areas such as Uthai Thani province have already needed intervention to cope with water shortages with the military dispatching water trucks to Baan Rai district of the province to provide drinking water to locals.