Sakhon Nakhon reels under heat, drought

Up North, Lampang’s Thoen district reported a maximum temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius yesterday, following the previous day’s 41.2, while Muang district experienced 39-40 degrees Celsius.

Many villagers had to travel far to seek bottled drinking water in the city area. The hot weather in Sakhon Nakhon also affected farm animals as grass and water sources dried up. 

Calling for help from authorities, Phang Met village headman Charoen Kornpan in Tambon Ngew Don said his village and others around Nong Han Lake had been severely affected by drought since February. He said underground water had become salty. Sakhon Nakhon’s 18 districts were declared drought-disaster zones affecting 200,000 people and the state agencies had distributed more than 20 million litres of drinking water to the affected villages but the drought persisted.

Meanwhile, the average 35 degrees Celsius heat during daytime in Nakhon Ratchasima resulted in 10 people being hospitalised at Suranaree Camp Hospital. They had heat-induced fever with flu-like symptoms. Last year, there were only three such cases. The number of outpatients with fever also went up by 10 per cent. 

Hospital director Pasin Buasaeng said the heat caused dehydration and exhaustion in people hence if they did not get enough rest, their body immunity would drop, allowing the flu virus to attack them. He urged people to stay in the shade, drink a lot of water and to seek medical attention if they got sick with severe symptoms.