Parts of Phichit affected by severe drought

Drought has hit four districts of the northern province of Phichit, leading to the provincial authority declare them as a disaster zone.

Governor Chakkarin Plienwong said the declaration was issued for the droughthit districts of Muang, Saklek, Dong Charoen and Wangsai Poon. Most were not in the irrigation zone, he said.

The provincial authorities would thus work on identifying urgent measures to help those areas including bringing irrigation water from canal branches

The situation could be worse if the underground wells could not generate enough water, he said. Water trucks were prepared to go out to provide water to affected farmers.

Meanwhile Prawes Sirisilp, provincial irrigation chief, said the drought came faster and appeared more severe than in the previous years. Most of the affected farmland covering ten of thousands of rai was outside irrigation areas. So far, the irrigation office has distributed 20 water pumps to farmers affected by the drought to help alleviate the situation. The office also pumped water from the Nan River via electrical pumping stations to farmers outside the irrigation areas.