Amid prolonged drought fears, state agencies prepare for El Nino impact
Government agencies involved in managing water resources have been told to get ready to cope with a long drought this year as a result of El Nino, a senior government official said.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) and the National Water Resources Operations Centre held a meeting with other concerned state agencies to make preparations for a long drought due to El Nino, which is expected to last until next year. The El Niño phenomenon is caused by unusually warm temperatures on the water surface in the Pacific and lasts around 9-12 months.
The meeting was held on the instructions of caretaker Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is expected to leave office by the middle of next month after the new prime minister is elected by Parliament.
Anucha said the ONWR and the water resources centre recently held a meeting with the Meteorological Department, the Hydro-Informatics Institute, the Water Resources Department, the Royal Irrigation Department, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and Groundwater Resources Department.
It was agreed at the meeting that all the concerned government agencies would meet every week to monitor the situation, as they expect the drought caused by El Nino to continue until next year.
Anucha said the officials attending meeting believed the drought this year would be similar to what happened in 2019-2020 because of the impact of El Nino.
Anucha said the meeting participants found that as of November 1, reservoirs around the country were at 60-70% of their water storage capacity.
As a result, water resources-related agencies were instructed to draft water management plans to minimise the impact on the people.
The spokesman said Prayut had also instructed the concerned government agencies to launch awareness campaigns for people to be economical in their use of water.
Farmers will be advised to skip planting the second crop to avoid a water shortage situation.
The government agencies were instructed to prioritise water usage for making tap water, not for farming.
The Royal Irrigation Department reported to the meeting that farmers had been encouraged to plant rice species that could be harvested quickly to avoid the water shortages later.
Farmers and the private sector were also encouraged to build their own water resources, the spokesman added.
A nationwide survey conducted by ONWR had found that several parts of the country were already hit by drought, including Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Khao Kho district in Phetchabun province, and Ko Si Chang district in Chonburi province.
The ONWR has coordinated with the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and local governments to provide help to people affected by drought, the spokesman added.
