NAKHON RATCHASIMA - There is enough water in Lam Takhong reservoir to ensure adequate tap water for five nearby districts for the next two months, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Sukhon Temyodying, director of the Lam Takhong Operation and Maintenance Project, said the dam reservoir was currently holding 449.33 million cubic metres of water, 15.69% of its design capacity.
Of this, 26.61 million cubic metres was for tap water production.
Water was being released at about 130,000 cubic metres per day, he said.
The reservoir supplies water to five districts - Sikhiu, Sung Noen, Kham Thalae So, Muang and Chalerm Prakiat. Residents have expressed fears of a possible water shortage this year.
Mr Sukhon gave an assurance the reservoir had sufficient water for domestic supply. Even without rainfall, there was enough water to last until mid-July.
Irrigation officials had closely monitored and managed the water supply during the dry season, he said.
He said Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Chanthararuangthong, who is chairman of the National Water Resources Committee, had inspected the water situation in Nakhon Ratchasima during a visit on May 3.
Mr Praasert, also digital economy and society minister, had instructed the Irrigation Department to efficiently manage the water resources of the four major reservoirs in the province - Lam Takhong, Lam Phra Phloeng, Mun Bon and Lam Chae.
Water management measures were in place to allocate water resources to meet demand, with priority given to household use, Mr Sukhon said.
The Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation had been instructed to carry out rainmaking flights to increase the water volume in all reservoirs and in particular Lam Takhongr, which is the main water source for the province.