Thailand is expected to be hard hit by widespread drought next year as a direct result of El Nino which will bring about less rains than the previous years, said Dr Seri Suparathit, director of Climate Changes and Disasters Centre of Rangsit University, on Thursday.
Water stored at the Sirikit and Bhumibol dams currently amount to 40-50 percent of their full capacities and with rains about to taper off in the middle of this month, the water reserves at the two dams will not be sufficient to feed 4-5 million rai of second crops in the Chao Phraya river basin which need about 6,000 million cubic metre of water, he said.
Dr Seri noted that the rains this year are much less than the previous years due to the onset of El Nino phenomenon and the rains which have been lashing most parts of the country this year are the result of monsoon.
He predicted that drought would continue to persist in Thailand for the next 2-3 years depending on how long the El Nino phenomenon will be. But he cautioned that after the end of the drought, it would be followed by another cycle of heavy flooding.
“That means we will have two more years to make preparations to meet with the big flood,” he said.
