Expert:Thailand is likely to face severe drought in 2012

BANGKOK, February 27 (TNA) - A leading water expert has foreseen that downpours in Thailand this year should not be as much as last year, thwarting the possibility of any repeated massive flooding, but said the country is likely to face severe drought in 2012 instead. The water expert, Professor Doctor Seri Supparathit, chief of the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park (SIEP), said on Monday, at an event held to commemorate the establishment of the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA), that Thailand was believed to experience severe drought in 2012 due to impacts from the El Niño phenomenon, starting from mid 2012 till the end of the year in lieu of those of the fading La Niña phenomenon. The senior expert suggested that proper water management is, thus, necessary, including flexible discharges of water from dams and reservoirs, and that water levels at the dams and reservoirs should be each maintained at some 55 per cent of their full capacity in order to deal with the coming drought. The SIEP chief also suggested even though Thailand will unlikely to experience any severe flooding this year, the country still needs to be well-prepared for possible inundations as there are probably some storms before the La Niña phenomenon ends, saying that the storms can be forecasted 7-10 days in advance. (TNA)