Provincial Authorities Ordered To Hurriedly Help Drought Victims

BANGKOK, April 23 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit has told provincial governors to quickly help victims of this year's severe and expanding drought. During a video conference Monday, Yongyuth ordered that the provincial governors spend their 50-million-baht emergency fund, allocated to each province for relief missions by the government, and to seek additional budget from the Cabinet through the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives if the persistent drought vastly damaged farmlands in their provinces. Yongyuth insisted that the provincial authorities provide assistance for drought victims in their respective areas as the first priority, acknowledging that 48 Thai provinces have already been declared drought-stricken areas and the Interior Ministry has, therefore, instructed the affected provinces to set up their ad hoc centers to solve the problem. Meanwhile, Wibul Sa-nguanpong, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said that urgent drought relief operations are centered on the supplies of water for local consumption and agriculture, employment projects to prevent migration, epidemic prevention, preparation to cope with summer-related disasters, water-saving campaigns and efficient water management, expressing his hope that the measures will contain drought-related problems currently. (TNA)