Many areas are experiencing water shortages as summer has now begun. However, officials are confident that water supplies will be sufficient to see out the dry season.
The Meteorological Department announced recently that summer had begun on March 3.
Some areas of the country are facing a water shortage. Water levels at the Lam Takong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province were down to 24 per cent of total capacity. However, water experts ruled out the possibility of a severe drought this year, although they cautioned people to use water wisely.
Royon Jitdon, director of the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, assured that the water supply will be enough for this dry season and there are only some places that will face water scarcity.
“Right now, the areas most likely to face water shortage are in Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum provinces because the water supply in these areas is low. The rest of the country will have enough water supply until the rainy season,” Royon said.
He explained that the precipitation pattern this year was normal and could be compared to 1999. However, he cautioned that as the country had experienced two continuous years of severe drought, there was no abundance in water stocks in reservoirs.
He also warned against increasing farming activities during the dry season, as that could cause a water shortage. He said because of the increase in water availability compared to the previous two years, many farmers were increasing their farming activities in the hope of making up for their losses in the drought years.
Provincial Waterworks Authority governor Seree Supratid also affirmed that the water supply for domestic consumption would be enough for the dry season .