Watered-Down Songkran Due To Drought

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa, Bernama's correspondent in Bangkok, shares his take on Thailand. BANGKOK, March 10 (Bernama) -- The worsening drought in Thailand could put a damper on this year’s "Songkran" Festival (water festival). The celebration will be held in the middle of next month to usher in the traditional new year. However, due to the dwindling water supply, the government has cautioned those intending to join in the celebrations to use the precious commodity sparingly by just sprinkling the water, instead throwing bucketloads or engaging in water wars. "The government is preparing for a water conservation campaign and will ask people to adopt the traditional method of "Rod Nam Dam Hua" (sprinkling a small amount of water on others) when celebrating Songkran and to refrain from throwing buckets of water," said the Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha to the local media recently. The current dry season has brought prolonged drought to the wide expanse of the country's agriculture land, with the government declaring 46 districts in 12 provinces as drought-stricken areas. Thailand's Office of National Economic and Social Development Board said the drought crisis has left nearly 500,000 people jobless in the agricultural sector and in need of assistance from the government. Thailand, a major agriculture producer, has more than 12 million Thais working in the sector. NO WATER CUTS IN KHAO SAN ROAD The dry season is expected to end in August by which time water would start flowing again in the dams. Until then, the authorities have devised eight methods to fight the drought, including engaging in artificial rain-making operations. The Songkran Festival attracts a number of tourists to Thailand, every year. Thus, despite cautioning against the overuse of waters during Songkran, the government wants the Tourism and Sports Ministry to ensure tourists do not cancel their trip to Thailand, as it would put a dent to the country's tourism industry. One part of Bangkok, which over the years has embraced Songkran wholeheartedly and have never been known to put a limit on water usage during the festival is Khao San Road, well-known worldwide for its backpacking community. Its business leader Piyabut Jiwaramonikul has said that the Songkran Festival in Khao San Road would be as lively as in the previous years and would not be affected by government's call to preserve water. "The Songkran celebration is only for three days. I do not think too much water will be wasted during that time because people usually enjoy the water wars by firing water-guns, which uses less water than when splashing water (using buckets) on each other," he said. BANGKOK HEEDS ADVICE Despite Piyabut's assurances, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has taken a different route and will adhere the government's water policy during the Songkran Festival. It said that choosing to heed the government's advice to adopt the "Rod Nam Dam Hua" instead of engaging in “water wars” during Songkran was not only in line with traditional Thai culture but also conserves precious water during the drought season. However, it acknowledged that it could not dictate the people's use of water when hosting the upcoming celebrations at the district. -- BERNAMA