How will the waters flow?

April 24, 2004 - Drought worsens in Thailand, 6.5 million affected BANGKOK: Some 6.5 million people across Thailand are suffering from a serious regional drought that threatens to devastate even more of the kingdom during the dryest time of year, officials say.

The department of disaster prevention and mitigation said 14,887 villages in 59 provinces had been declared serious drought zones, mainly in northern and northeastern areas but also in the popular southern resort island of Phuket.

"The country still faces less rain which is worsening the drought, and the situation is expected to expand and get more serious," according to a statement from the department.

Provinces have spent just 70 million baht (1.77 million dollars) on urgent measures including delivering millions of litres of potable water, while an additional 115 million baht is expected to be spent on long-term water projects to ease future drought disaster, it said.

Conditions were listed as most severe in Buriram province, some 400 kilometres (248 miles) northeast of the capital Bangkok, with 800,000 villagers affected in 19 districts.

Water levels at 35 big and medium-sized dams across the country had fallen below normal, according to the irrigation department.

"This year's drought is worse than last year, as the water level in dams are much lower than last year," said an irrigation official, adding that drought damage in Thailand to date had reached 99 million baht but was expected to rise.

This year's dry season is hitting Southeast Asia hard, with the Mekong River poised to drop to its lowest level in a decade in Cambodia, according to experts.

The world's 12th longest river, which snakes through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, provides a crucial supply of food and water to more than 60 million people living in the Mekong basin area.