Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, and Lop Buri Provinces are experiencing severe drought which causes disruption of tap water production.
More than 250,000 households have lost access to tap water when supply of raw water in Raphipat Canal in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district has gone dry.
Districts in Pathum Thani Province such as Nong Sua, Thanyaburi, and Lam Luk Ka are now also declared as areas hit by the water shortage. In Pathum Thani alone there are now “more than 50,000 households that have no running tap water at their disposal”, said Pathum Thani Governor Pongsathorn Sajjacholaphan.
“Lop Buri is now the hardest hit. About 100,000 people in this province are now struggling with disrupted tap water services,” a local official said.
The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) office in Thanyaburi can no longer produce tap water due to the water shortage, according to the PWA’s Rangsit Office in Pathum Thani.
As a partial solution, the PWA is funneling water from their Rangsit’s office to the residents in Thanyaburi. However, with constrained water supply to share, residents of both Thanyaburi and Rangsit have said that water barely comes out of their taps and sometimes does not come out at all.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chief Chatchai Promlert is working with the Royal Irrigation Department to increase the volume of water from Chao Phraya River to Chai Nat – Pasak Canal. He also asked help from the governors of Nakhon Sawan and Chai Nat Provinces to stop farmers pumping water from the canal into their paddy fields. Farmers agreed as they understand the predicament of the residents.
Also, distribution of water supplies to the affected households through fire trucks are being coordinated.
Residents in the capital city of Bangkok are also worried of the situation. Bangkok may experience disruption of tap water supplies within 30 days if there will be no rain by August. This is the sentiment feared by Thanasak Watanatha, Governor of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority.
Source: The Nation