Second-crop farmers given govt warnings
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'No dam water for rice grown out of season'
THE Royal Irrigation Department has issued written warnings to farmers who illegally pump water from public waterways into their paddy fields – a move that reflects the severity of imminent water shortage.
“Their action is against the law. They may face legal penalties. But for now, we have decided to warn them first,” the department’s director-general Suthep Noipairoj said a few days ago.
He was referring to the 190,000 rai of paddy fields now engaged in a second round of rice planting this year.
“We have limited water supply,” Suthep emphasised.
As of November 1, four major dams for the Chao Phraya River basin had just 4.247 billion cubic metres of disposable water. The amount was far below the over 6 billion cubic metres at the start of the dry season last year. In Thailand, the dry season officially runs from November 1 to April 30.
The country usually relies on rainfall during the wet season in storing water for use in the dry months. However, water shortages have seriously affected the Chao Phraya River basin during the rainy season this year.
That is why authorities are now being strict about water-allocation.
Suthep said all sides must comply with the water-allocation plan for the Chao Phraya River basin, otherwise the imminent drought could pose a serious threat.
“All sectors must collaborate in saving water in a serious manner,” Suthep said.
His department has been closely monitoring the water situation. Inflows into the four major dams have reached about 15.6 million cubic metres a day, while usage totals 15.55 million cubic metres.
“When it comes to the agricultural sector, our focus is now on irrigating water for the fields of rice farmers who are working on their farmland for the first time this year,” he said.
The Irrigation Department head said there were now about 1.33 million rai of such paddy fields in the Central region. These fields belong to farmers who agreed to the government’s plea to delay work on their fields. They are expected to collect their harvest later this month.
Suthep said the limited water supply meant his department would not be able to ensure adequate water for paddy fields growing rice outside the farming season.
As soon as the department found that some rice farmers in areas north of the Chao Phraya Dam had pumped water into second-season paddy fields, it issued written warnings.
“Farmers should not forget that we need to allocate water for consumption and ecological systems too,” Suthep explained.
He complained that even though officials had warned about the imminent water shortage for months, many farmers had begun work on paddy fields outside the farming season.
“They in fact should be cautious about water sources in their areas, and determine if there will be enough for their paddy fields,” he said.
Suthep said very few farmers had opted for alternative crops lately, despite recommendations from various bodies, including the Agriculture Ministry that sent its officials to local fields.
