NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Eight districts of this northeastern province have been hit by a water shortage, prompting the governor to instruct the local administrations and district chiefs of all 32 districts in the province to draw up drought prevention and mitigation measures, according to local media reports.
Suffering especially hard from shortages of water are 21 villages in 13 tambons of Non Sung, Chakkarat, Khong, Nong Bunmak, Muang, Pak Thong Chai, Si Khiu and Sung Noen districts.
Water supplies have been brought in from elsewhere to relieve the shortages in these localities.
Governor Wichian Chantaranothai has ordered the chiefs of all 32 districts as well as local administrations to draw up relief measures and report the situation to him on a weekly basis.
The waterworks plant in Dan Khun Thot district is running out of raw water for production as water in the Chiang Krai reservoir, its main source of water, has dropped to a critical level. Permission has been sought from residents in tambon Kut Phiman to divert 500,000 cubic metres of water from the Thanon Hai Yai swamp to the plant for tap water production.
The province has set up a command centre to coordindate efforts to cope with the drought and water shortage.
A provincial announcement has urged farmers to skip second-season rice farming and resort to growing crops that consume less water, such as various kinds of bean, sesame, sunflower, sorghum and vegetables.
Local administrations have been instructed to store water from various sources for tap water production in their localities and repair unused artesian wells to draw water for household use.