Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will on Monday visit Surin and Buri Ram provinces in the Lower Northeast which have been severely hit by drought, said government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat on Sunday.
In Surin, the prime minister will focus his attention on Huay Saneng and Ampil reservoirs which are major sources of water for tap water production, she said.
Ms Narumon said the low volume of water in the Huay Saneng and Ampil reservoirs has caused water shortages in Muang and Samrong Thap districts, affecting 308 villages in 31 tambons and 150,995 rai of farmland.
In Buri Ram, there is now altogether about 1.438 million cubic metres of water in Huay Talat and Huay Chorakhe reservoirs. Tap water production has been affected.
Gen Prayut had earlier instructed the agriculture and cooperative minister and concerned agencies to address the shortage by diverting water from other sources for tap water production, drill more artesian wells and expedite rain-making operations.
During the inspection trip, the prime minister will inspect the work done on his instructions. As a sustainable solution to the problem in the medium and long terms, he wants all water reservoirs to be drained and expanded to increase their holding capacities to stabilise water production, Ms Narumon said.
The spokeswoman added that the prime minister has also intructed all provinces to take remedial actions to help farmers affected by the drought.