BANGKOK, 5th August 2019 (NNT) – Although many areas have experienced heavy rainfall due to the influence of the Vipa storm, Khon Kaen is still suffering from a lack of rain which is damaging rice farms in Phon district. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives has instructed officials to accelerate the procurement of water to help farmers.
Mr. Prapat Phothasuthan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, visited Nong Sabaeng Samakkhi village, Phek Yai sub-district, Phon district, Khon Kaen province, where a lack of rain has damaged rice farms in throughout the district. He ordered the authorities to provide a water supply to the people. Initially, he ordered construction of five underground water wells to study the effectiveness. Each well can provide water to about 100 rai of rice farm. If successful, more underground water wells will be constructed. As a long-term solution, two important ponds in Phon district which covers an area of 3,000 rai will be dredged. This will help relieve the suffering of people in the whole district.
In Roi Et, officials from related agencies have inspected the amount of water in the Siao river at a pier near a bridge over the Nam Siao river in Mueang Pua sub-district, Kaset Wisai district, to prepare to alleviate the shortage in raw water for water production because the water in the Siao river has dried up and it wasn’t possible to measure the amount of water in some spots. Mr. Wanchai Khongkasem, Governor of Roi Et, said he had coordinated with the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation to conduct a royal rainmaking operation to increase the amount of water in the Thung Kula Rong Hai area and other water sources. However, there is still not enough water and there is still a lack of rainfall so the amount water in raw water sources is not sufficient for agriculture. As for water supply production, there is still a sufficient quantity of raw water for users in all areas. The next step in troubleshooting should be looking for freshwater sources as reserve water sources and accelerating implementation of the underground water bank project.
In the Bo Win subdistrict and Chao Phraya Surasak Municipality, Sriracha district, Chonburi province, Mr Chetthaphon Phaeprasert, Manager of Bo Win Subdistrict Waterworks Enterprise, said today the water supply production capacity is sufficient for 22,000 households and is about to be increased by more than 500 households. He has asked people to be confident in the level of water supply from Bo Win Waterworks Enterprise, East Water Company Limited, during the dry season. People are asked not to panic but to use tap water sparingly. He dismissed concerns about the claim that the industrial sector in Bo Win Subdistrict Industrial Estate uses the water sources of Bo Win Waterworks Enterprise, saying that there is no need to worry about that because the industrial estates have their own natural water sources that store water for use during the dry season.
