19 May 2015
The Government is focusing on developing more water retention areas in its
water resource management plan, in order to ease recurrent flood and drought
problems.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the Government is
accelerating its water resource management plan, 2015-2016, which, in the
initial stage, seeks to build more large and small areas to store water, in
addition to providing sufficient water for consumption and agriculture.
He said that relevant agencies had been told to complete the task of
creating more water retention areas in time for the coming rainy season. For
example, more swamps will be built, and in low-lying areas, lakes might be
developed. The Prime Minister wanted to see more areas across the country that
could be used for storing water, but they must not have impacts on the
ecological system.
He said that local people in various areas might dig small water sources,
or artesian wells, for their own water supply to help in cultivation. The
Government is seeking ways that will enable them to tackle the recurring flood
and drought problems.
There are currently about 3,000 subdistricts that face recurrent drought.
The Prime Minister stated that the digging of more water sources for water
distribution would help improve the situation. Thailand’s total area covers 123
million acres. Out of this area, more than 50 million acres, accounting for 40
percent, are devoted to agriculture. Around 30 percent of the farmland is now
covered by the irrigation system. The Government is striving to expand the
irrigation system to cover 40 percent of the farmland.
Apart from developing more water sources, agricultural zoning has been
suggested as another way to help ease water shortages. Under the agricultural
zoning program, farmers would be given advice as to which crops they should
produce and how to produce them for a more efficient and productive agriculture
sector.
He said that the situation in general is now improving. Even so, the
Government is not complacent, as it is concerned about the hardships of farmers,
whose problem of insufficient water sources for consumption and agriculture is a
matter of great concern.
Thailand often faces an annual pattern of flooding following the dry
season. In order to tackle this issue, the Government deems it necessary that
all water management-related projects be integrated, so that flood and drought
problems could be tackled more effectively.
Because of the low levels of water in major dams in 2015, the Royal
Irrigation Department has prioritized water allocation corresponding to the
water volume in various dams. The first priority is placed on allocating water
for consumption. The second priority is for maintaining the ecological system
during the dry season. The third priority is given to crop cultivation, and the
fourth priority to industry.
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