Severe drought kills fish, leaves Bueng Kluea lake almost dry
Bueng Kluea lake in Roi-Et province has almost run dry because of the merciless drought, which has also killed all fish in the marine sanctuary.
Horrified local government officials and residents in Bueng Kluea district have surveyed 2,500 rai of the salt marsh – which spans 7,500 rai covering other provinces as well – and scooped up the dead fish so that whatever water was left won’t be spoiled or give off an offensive odour.
Residents have found Thai carp, scaled fish and several species of catfish that they hope to sell to bring in additional income.
The loss of such a big amount of water was caused by severe drought and the increased use of water for agricultural purposes. Moreover, floods last year broke the dam, affecting the lake’s water retention capacity.
Bueng Kluea district officials have proposed to the government a Bt150-million project to reshape the lake in order to solve the problem, but say there has been no response so far to their crucial recommendation.