Thailand plans long-term management to deal with water crisis

Thailand’s Agriculture Ministry is considering a long-term water management plan to facilitate sufficient water for rice farming in the country.

The plan involves education of rice farmers in the country to avoid off-season rice farming and instead switch to alternative crops, such as peanuts, which require lower quantities of water.

The need for water conservation has increased with the rise in off-season rice plantations to nine million rai in the past one year against the government estimates of around four million rai, Agriculture Minister Pitipong Puengboon Na Ayudhaya told the National News Bureau of Thailand.

In addition, less rainfall this season has resulted in lower volumes of retained water that could be used for irrigation.

The minister, along with officials, has visited farmers and urged them to end off-season rice farming.

The Royal Irrigation Department will, however, supply water for those farmers who still have not harvested their off-season crops, Pitipong said.

The long-term integrated water management plan also intends to launch an improvement project for the nation’s irrigation systems in order to boost their capacity.

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Image: The need for water conservation has increased with the rise in off-season rice plantations to nine million rai in the past year. Photo: courtesy of F3rn4nd0 / Wikipedia.