Royal Irrigation Department calls for urgent moves to conserve water
Farmers living in provinces near the Chao Phraya River have been asked to avoid annual rice cultivation to save water for consumption and prevent damage to crops.
The Royal Irrigation Department has sent letters to governors of provinces near the Chao Phraya River on this issue, the department’s deputy director-general, Taweesak Thanadechopol, said on Friday.
The move aims to preserve water volumes in four dams – the Bhumibol, Sirikit, Pa Sak Jolasid and Khwae Noi Bamrung Dan dams.
Taweesak said the decision was in line with a May 9 Cabinet resolution asking state agencies to prepare action plans to ensure water resources are used efficiently.
The El Nino weather phenomenon is likely to intensify, Taweesak said. The water volumes at the four dams are similar to what they were in 2019 – between 5 billion and 7.5 billion cubic metres – due to low levels of rainfall.
Taweesak also said that irrigation offices nationwide had been ordered to monitor for possible floods due to heavy rainfall in the North and Northeast and strictly adhere to water-management measures.
Irrigation offices have been instructed to store as much water as possible, and other agencies have been asked to use as little as possible to cope with the El Nino phenomenon, he added.
As of Wednesday, 11.08 billion cubic metres of water has been allocated, of which 4.66 billion cubic metres has been allocated in Chao Phraya Basin.
Farmers have cultivated 13.50 million rai of annual rice fields as of August 3, of which 7.15 million rai are in Chao Phraya Basin.
