RATCHABURI - Villagers from two districts in this central province faced off Thursday in a showdown over water use as drought ravages the area.
Locals from tambon Thung Luang in Pak Tho district rushed to protect a reservoir after seeing villagers in neighbouring tambon Don Rae in Muang district begin to pump out water for their vegetable farms.
The 64-rai reservoir is reserved for household use under an agreement made by 16 villages in Thung Luang. But the dearth of rainfall pushed farmers in Don Rae to install pumps at the reservoir to save their plants from dying.
Villagers from tambon Thung Luang and tambon Don Rae face off at a reservoir in Pak Tho district of Ratchaburi in a battle over water. (Photo by Saichon Srinuanchan)
Mun Kowhud, a Thung Luang villager, and Noraset Ruangpayungsak, the Tambon Thung Luang mayor, insisted that water in the reservoir must not be used for farming, as it could affect all villages relying on it for daily use.
"If we can't solve this problem, a fight for water might erupt," Mr Mun warned.
But Somporn Intaratheewa, a Don Rae farmer, called for compromise as his tambon is facing drought and urgently needed water for vegetable farming.
''We're asking for sympathy from Thung Luang villagers. We want reconciliation and do not want to create a problem,'' he said.
He claimed that the water level in the reservoir would not drop as it sits on a freshwater spring.
The standoff prompted soldiers, local politicians and district officials to intervene in a bid to cool them down.
Muang district chief Visa Poolsirirat said after mediating talks with both sides that villagers in tambon Don Rae will be allowed to pump water from the reservoir for their farms for a week.
The two camps will come back next week to check the water level in the reservoir, the official said. If the level has dropped, Don Rae farmers will have to stop using the water for agriculture, he added.
The struggle to find water underlines the drought problem that has hit several provinces.
The water in the 64-rai reservoir is reserved for household use under an agreement made by 16 villages in Thung Luang. But lack of rain pushed farmers in Don Rae to install pumps at the reservoir to save their plants from dying. (Photo by Saichon Srinuanchan)
Pak Tho is one of the worst-hit districts in Ratchaburi, according to the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, although it has not been declared a disaster area.
Across the country, disaster zones have been called in 133 districts of 27 provinces, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Thursday. Drought covered 10% of Thailand, it added. More locations could be added to the list if the dry spell continues.
The government has said drought this dry season would be the worst in decades and urged farmers to abandon farming until the rains return. It earmarked 85 billion baht to create jobs for farmers, mainly through Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry programmes.
The province facing the toughest battle is Phitsanulok, where every district has been declared a disaster area. Nakhon Ratchasima is a close second, with 20 of its 22 districts on the disaster list.
Panithi Samorwong, director of the artificial-rain making operation centre for the Northeast, warned Nakhon Ratchasima residents that they should brace for worse times, as water levels in all dams feeding water to farmers and households have dropped below half capacity.