Thai government to carry on water management plans

BANGKOK, February 16 ( TNA) - The Thai government will go ahead with its water management plans, totally worth 350 billion baht, to address both repeated flooding and drought problems in the country on a sustainable basis. Speaking during her weekly TV and radio programme on Saturday morning, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra acknowledged that her government is now concerned over a, probably, repeated drought during the upcoming summer season in the country and plans to spend part of the 350-billion-baht state budget to solve the crux. Yingluck said that concerned officials have studied on how the drought problem was solved in the past and, for long-term basis, her government is looking into on how to manage water efficiently through its single command programme so that there will have enough water for domestic consumption on a sustainable basis. As authorities have already declared 29 provinces nationwide drought-hit zones, Yingluck noted, her government is initially advising local farmers on what crops which consume little amount of water, or what they should grow or what occupations they should temporarily take during the summer. Touching on the smog problem, resulting from bushfires and burning by farmers after harvest, especially in the Thai North, the prime minister revealed that centres have been set up to monitor the situation 80 days after harvest by farmers to prevent the crux from getting deteriorated, and that the situation has now improved after officials have urged farmers to avoid burning and how to improve the soil. (TNA)