Nearly half Nakhon Ratchasima's 32 districts have been declared drought-hit areas, with the province as a whole and many other parts of the country facing the prospect of acute water shortages, authorities say.
Nakhon Ratchasima, Maha Srakham and Khon Kaen in the Northeast, Suphan Buri and Uthai Thani in the Central Plains, and Lampang and Chiang Mai in the North are on alert after officials found many dams do not contain enough water to irrigate farmland in the coming cool season.
The situation is most severe in Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, where 700,000 rai of farmland, mostly paddy, have already been damaged due to a lack of rainfall, officials said.
So far, 14 crop-growing districts are listed for immediate help, provincial governor Wichian Chantharanothai said yesterday.
Officials are considering paying rice farmers 1,100 baht per rai and farmers of other crops 1,400 baht per rai to compensate them for their losses.
Mr Wichian blamed "less than usual" rainfall in parts of the province for causing the hardship. Last year, Nakhon Ratchasima had over 1,000 millimetres of rain, but it has had nowhere near as much this year.
The water scarcity has been offset so far by the province's five large reservoirs including Lam Ta Khlong dam, with water storage currently at 80% of capacity.
However, with the country about to enter the dry season, with less or no water flowing into the reservoirs, measures will be implemented to ensure there is enough water to go round.
The goal is for "every village to have water for use until June", Mr Wichian said.
One measure is to build Pracharat dams, or checking dams that are jointly sponsored by the state and private sector, he said, adding all of Nakhon Ratchasima's 32 districts have been told to start constructing them.
They will obstruct water flow so it can be pumped into water-retention areas.
Officials in Maha Sarakham are also working on plans to offset water shortages as 17 reservoirs in the province only hold a total of 35 million cubic metres of water -- about 43% of total capacity.
This will only be enough for household consumption and ecosystem conservation. Farmers will struggle to grow crops in the cool season, officials said.
The situation in Khon Kaen is also dire. Water in the Ubolratana dam is now less than 35% of its capacity. This will allow officials to discharge water to farmland until Wednesday.
Other regions in similar situations also require careful water management.
They face a problem despite "very good" levels of water stocks in 35 large reservoirs across the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Chatchai Sarikulya.
He made the remarks during a field visit to Suphan Buri, where the threat of drought looms large in several areas.
Clouds have been dumping rain in some provinces but leaving others in need dry, Gen Chatchai said.
Kra Siao dam in Suphan Buri's Dan Chang district was also at 35% capacity, he added.
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