3 agencies join forces to tackle drought

BANGKOK, March 15 (TNA) -- Thailand's Department of Royal Rain Making and Agricultural Aviation, together with the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) and Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) have planned to integrate their information to support a universal water management system to fight drought which has been severe since last year. Royal Rain Making and Agricultural Aviation Director-general Lersak Rewtarkulpaiboon, TMD Deputy Director General Songkran Aksorn, and RID Spokesman Thongplew Kongjun jointly announced the integration in order to ensure that the tackling of drought, as well as haze and forest fire problems are completed consistently by using the same database. Mr Lersak said an example of the planned integrated operation would be where the his department could analyse the information about the weather gathered by the TMD's satellite to work out when it is best to start artificial rain making operations, while the RID would work out to release water in order to ensure the highest benefit for farmers. The three agencies would be working closely alongside to tackle the problems in both the long and short terms, so as to keep on track with the present water situation in the country, where they have planned to initiate the project at Pa Sak Chonlasit Dam and later use it as a model for the water management system in other parts of the country. (END)