Farmers urged to delay crops

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Rice planting would 'deplete water supply'

WRITER: APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

The Department of Royal Irrigation has urged rice farmers in the Chao Phraya River basin to delay planting their crops due to water shortages.

The department said crop plantations should be delayed until the middle of next month due to unusually low rainfall.

The department says water reserves are sufficient for only the next 40 days.

It also called on consumers to conserve water to prevent more serious shortages.

Department chief Lertviroj Kowattana said experts have tweaked the water management plan along the basin by reducing the amount of discharge from 57 million cubic metres per day to 30 million to 35 million cubic metres, due to lower than expected water storage levels in the four main dams − Bhumibol dam in Tak province, Sirikit dam in Uttaradit, Kwae Noi Bamrung Dan dam in Phitsanulok, and Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri.

He also insisted there was enough water stored for the public's daily consumption, meeting the ecological system's needs, agriculture and industrial activity.

But it would not be enough if the agricultural zone increased more than 2.8 million rai in the rainy season.

"There is only enough water for the current plantation zone. We can not supply more water if there are more plantations," Mr Lertviroj said.

"We can not supply more water if there are more plantations," Mr Lertviroj said.

"We want farmers to cooperate with us by helping conserve water. They should avoid increasing crop zones as we only have enough water for use for 40 days," he said, adding he would ask for cooperation from the military to help farmers better understand the situation.

Mr Lertviroj said the dams will not discharge any more water after 40 days as they need to keep water at sensible levels.

However, Mr Lertviroj believed normal levels of rain would start falling in the middle of next month. According to the department, the amount of rainfall last month, when the rainy season started, was 260 millimetres, or 30% lower than the 30-year average amount of 396.6mm in the same period.

Meanwhile, rainfall in the North last month was last month was 47% lower compared with the same period last year and rainfall in the Central Plains was 45% lower.

This has resulted in less water reserves in the four dams, particularly Bhumibol and Sirikit.

When officials checked Tuesday, usable water storage in Bhumibol dam was 457 million cubic metres, or only 3% of usable capacity, and water storage in Sirikit dam was 831 million cubic metres or only 9% of usable capacity.

"We will have no secondary plan if there is no rain after the 40 days expire but we are confident rain will return to normal levels after July," Mr Lertviroj said.

Department of Meteorology spokesman Boonthum Tanglumlert said the full extent of the rainy season is expected to be known next month and August.

He said there might be only one storm this year, compared with an average of three monsoon storms annually during the rainy season in previous years.