Water shortages are expected to hit Phitsanulok next year if there is not enough rainfall to fill the major dams by the end of the rainy season.
As the rainy season begins this month, local authorities are devising ways to retain the most rainfall. The provincial irrigation office has said managing water is key to preventing or easing drought that may hit the province, served by two of the country's main rivers, the Yom and Nan.
Bundit Inta, chief of the Phitsanulok irrigation office, said heavy rainfall has come rather late this year, which is a not a good sign for farmers relying on a stable water supply for their cash crops.
However, excess water has resulted in floods in many parts of the province. So far, water in the Yom and Nan rivers has risen to average levels and then dropped back sharply, Mr Bundit said.
Villagers living on the banks of the Yom River in Phitsanulok are aware of the danger of flash floods as water flows downstream from the northern provinces.
Mr Bundit said the Nan River is under close watch by irrigation officials who noted the amount of water flowing into the Sirikit dam in nearby Uttaradit province was measured at only 3.5 million cubic metres a day. More water needs to flow into the dam to be reserved to help battle possible water shortages next year, according to the office.
The dam’s water level is now at 34% of its capacity of 9.5 billion cu m, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.
If that continues, the major dam's water level may not exceed 50% of its capacity by the rainy season's end and Phitsanulok could face severe drought next year, he said.
The Nan River’s tributary, the Kaeo Noi, also has less water running through it. Kaeo Noi Bamrung Daen dam, which sits on a section of the Kaeo Noi in Phitsanulok, can hold 939 million cu m of water. Now it has only 13% of that amount.
Other major dams nationwide have also reported low water levels, the department added.
The water level in the country's largest dam, Bhumibol, in Tak now stands at 30% of its capacity of 13 billion cu m.
In the Northeast, Lam Pao dam in Kalasin is at 23% of its capacity while the water level in the Pasak Chonlasit dam in Lop Buri has dipped to only 8% of its full capacity.