Drought becomes worse in several Thai areas

BANGKOK, May 4 (TNA) - Drought has been compounded in several Thai areas, as the Meteorological Department says that this year's summer heat will start to retreat and the rainy season will begin in mid-May. In Uthai Thani Province in the Lower Thai North, water levels of the Sakaekrang River have subsided to the lowest, prompting local people to have tried to use backhoes to dredge the mouth of the Khum-sap Canal in the Koh Tepho locality to receive water from the Chao Phraya River but to no avail, causing hardships to the locals, as raft houses have run aground and tilt and the local dwellers have left the area. In nearby Phichit Province, a large lake and the Yom River have dried up and the province's second rice crop is dying and three more districts have been declared drought-hit; while in adjacent Phitsanulok Province, downpours have stopped for over five months, causing water levels in local sources to have dropped quickly, including those in main rivers like Nan, Yom and Wang Thong Rivers, whereas over 80 square kilometers of local farmlands have been damaged and nine districts in the province have been declared drought-stricken. In Lamphun Province in the Upper Thai North, eight districts have been declared drought-stricken, causing trouble to over 140,000 local people; while over 160 square kilometers of farmlands have run out of water. In Chachoengsao Province in the Thai East, local canals in Bang Nam Priew District have dried up and water hyacinth is intruding. In Sakon Nakhon Province in the Thai Northeast, local farmers who have fish cages are worried, as water levels of local sources have been subsiding rapidly, forcing the farmers to have hurriedly sold their fish and some of them are aerating their fish cages to keep their animals alive. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department predicted that this year's summer heat will start to retreat on May 6 and the rainy season will begin in mid-May, and that there will be thunderstorms in some areas in the coming weeks but they will not be as powerful as previous summer storms. (TNA)