CHAI NAT, July 23 (TNA) – Farmers in the central plain have been asked to follow instruction, related to the authorities’ water management plans to cope with a looming drought.
The Irrigation Office in Chai Nat asked farmers in the Chao Phraya river basin to stick to advice to ensure enough water supply for all sectors. So far, 1.9 million rai (about 760,000 acres) of rice paddies have been grown.
Officials asked for cooperation from farmers to hold off rice planting on high lands and to wait until rainfall comes.
In Ang Thong province, farmers are forced to pump water from artisan wells into the paddy fields after the irrigation ditches have dried up for about a month. It costs them more to keep their crops alive.
The local authorities will hold a meeting to handle water shortage after the upstream Chao Phraya dam cut water discharge to 60 cubic metres per second. (TNA)
