Minister visits drought-hit northern Thailand’s Chai Nat province

BANGKOK, July 26 (TNA) - Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Pitipong Phungboon Na Ayudhya on Sunday visited northern Thailand’s Chai Nat province to inspect drought alleviation work and prepare further aid for farmers along the Chao Phraya River Basin. Mr. Pitipong said his ministry would initially help farmers whose rice fields were about to yield, with water supply to drought-hit farms in Chai Nat and nearby provinces expected to resume on Monday. Irrigation staff members would also be assigned to the areas to help facilitate water use. In the long-term, he said the ministry would be implementing five aid measures. They include helping farmers to switch to growing crops that consume less water, more diversified crops, promoting sustainable employment for farmers on farmlands, coordinating with the state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in overseeing farmers’ debts, and improving the irrigation system throughout Thailand. While many provinces in the country had been facing severe drought, heavy rains continue to hit Nakhon Phanom province bordering Laos for the past two weeks. Excessive water from several canals had flowed into the Mekong River, causing the water level in the river to rise sharply by about 50 centimetres a day. By Sunday morning, the water level in the river was at approximately 7.2 metres, just about 5 metres from the critical level. Nakhon Phanom’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office had warned of rapid floods and forest runoff due to the continued rainfall. Water pumps and sandbags had been installed in several areas to prevent floodwater from entering shops and houses, while ferry operators crossing the river had also been asked to use extra caution when near strong currents. (TNA)