Thailand lays underground pipes to distribute water to drought-hit villages

NORTHERN REGION, THAILAND, March 14 (TNA) - As drought appears to be intensifying in many areas, particularly those in the Thai Northeast, the Royal Irrigation Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, has allocated a budget of 33 million baht to lay main pipes to pump water from the Mekong River to drought-hit villages. Workers are speeding up to lay the water pipe, 30-40 inches in diameter underground from the Mekong River side, for five kilometers to pass three villages in Nongkhai Province, while a water pump station will be soon opened to send water for villagers during the dry season currently. In adjacent Bung Kan Province, water in local canals has dried up due to the summer heat, affecting more than 1,200 acres of off-season rice paddies. To prevent further damage on rice yields, the Third Infantry Division has dispatched soldiers to conduct surveys to provide assistance to local farmers. Besides, a vehicle equipped with a solar-powered water pump will be mobilized to distribute water for paddy fields. In nearby Nakhon Phanom Province, the water level in the Mekong River has dropped to around 2-3 meters, causing water in its branch canals to also drop fast, so has water in a reservoir, falling to only 20 per cent of its full capacity and posing a threat of water shortage to local farmers. (TNA)