Department of Highways at the forefront of battle against drought
The Department of Highways (DOH) and its subsidiary agencies are playing an active role in relieving the problem of water shortage in local communities and government organisations nationwide, as Thailand copes with one of the worst droughts in years.
The department was enjoined by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob and the government to help tackle the problem.
“Our department and subsidiaries have conducted operations in collaboration with the Provincial Waterworks Authority,” said Sarawut Songsiwilai, the department director-general.
A recent report said that the department and its subsidiaries had helped alleviate water problems in 32 provinces nationwide from October 31, 2019 to January 31, 2020.
“We distributed 4,353,900 litres of water, and 4,601 households were helped” he added. “We prepared 810 water trucks to help people and government organisations nationwide.”
In addition, the department has extinguished 225 conflagrations and forest fires that occurred along the highways, from October 31 to January 31. The fires occurred in 27 provinces nationwide.
“In case of any fires, people can call our hotline 1586 for help 24 hours,” he added.
The director-general said that the department had ordered its subsidiaries in every part of Thailand to hire local people, especially farmers, to work in the department’s existing projects. “It is a way of compensating for their lost revenue in the drought season, when crops and vegetables are hard to grow,” he explained.
