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Thailand

Phrae facing most severe drought in 50 years; Buriram hit by storm

PHRAE, 29 April 2014 (NNT) – Phrae province is facing the most severe drought in 50 years. Meanwhile, at least 61 homes in Buriram have been damaged by storm in just one night.

Mae Kham River, the main water source in Phrae, has completely dried up; the ground of the river bed is now visibly cracked. According to locals, this year's drought is the most severe in 50 years.

With 2,500 rai of rice paddies already decimated by drought, officials were under pressure to mitigate the situation. In all, 584 villages in all of the province's 8 districts have been afflicted by water shortage. Around 50,000 rai of farmlands – almost 30,000 of which are rice paddies – have been damaged.

In Buriram, a storm that swept through the province on Sunday night damaged at least 61 homes in 9 communities in Mueang district. Roofing and other construction materials were being handed out to the storm-struck home owners, as town and country planning officials surveyed the damage.