The government decided on Tuesday to curtail releases from four major dams feeding the Central Plains and said it would compensate affected farmers with financial aid.
The move to block growers from pumping water into their fields came as the government took more steps to conserve water for general consumption amid a serious drought.
"Water discharges (for farming) must decline or even stop," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. "Otherwise, we cannot make it until mid-August when rains are expected. And if it doesn't rain in August as estimated, the situation will become worse."
Affected by the decision are the Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kaew Noi Bam Roong Dan and Pa Sak Jolasid dams. Water will be retained for popular consumption and to prevent salt water from backing up and fouling freshwater supplies.
At the same time, the government is building new reservoirs and water-distribution channels, a task that previous government should have taken on, Gen Prayut said.
He said farmers will be instructed why they must cooperate and that the government was preparing compensation packages that will include cash and creation of non-farming jobs.
Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda insisted that there currently is no water available for agriculture in the Chao Phraya River basin and the cabinet resolved to cut water discharges from the four dams from 28 million cubic metres to 18 million cu/m a day starting Thursday to guarantee enough water for tap water and general consumption.
"This is for water security," he said. "We ask for cooperation from farmers to stop pumping water into farm areas."
He also said that with the presently reserved water, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority could continue to supply tap water until mid-August. He also confirmed the government would distribute water to all areas facing shortages.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Pitipong Phuengboon Na Ayudhaya said there must also be enough fresh water to oppose salt water seeping into water supplies serving farmland on the Gulf of Thailand. He admitted that water shortages were critical at the moment.
Lertviroj Kowattana, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said Tuesday that rains in August could provide enough water for consumption until as late as next July.
Anond Snidvongs, executive director of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, said that rain in China indicated clear skies in Thailand should end soon and low pressure areas in the Pacific Ocean could create storms that might spark rain in Thailand.
Amid all the drought talk, Bangkok received more than an hour of steady rain Tuesday night.
