A water management plan is underway to make sure the country's reservoirs have adequate supplies for the next dry season.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said that now the country had entered the rainy season his staff had put in place a raft of measures to stock up on water for the next dry spell, which is expected to start in November and last until April next year.
"The ministry is well equipped to manage water supplies and the Royal Irrigation Department has been instructed to review and adjust measures to reflect the situation in each area," he said.
Mr Chalermchai also welcomed the news that water use during the 2020/2021 drought, which ended on April 30, was lower than expected.
Under the ministry's water management plan, about five billion cubic metres of water was allocated for the Chao Phraya River basin, of which 4.5 billion cubic metres was set aside to be diverted from four major dams and another 500 million cubic metres from the Mae Klong River.
Just 4.892 billion cubic metres of water was used, he said, attributing the lower consumption to rainfall in downstream provinces and cooperation from farmers who were asked to use water from natural resources in their communities. A total of 5.95 million rai of crops were planted during the drought period, more than double the anticipated amount.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon earlier instructed the Office of the National Water Resources to look for ways to save as much water as possible during the wet season, saying that despite the early arrival of rain, less was expected in July and August.