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4 Thai provinces declared drought disaster areas

Xinhua, July 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lower-than-normal precipitation in July is expected to exacerbate Thailand's current drought crisis, with parts of four provinces declared disaster areas.

The national disaster warning center has declared 15 districts and 79 sub-districts in provinces of Prae, Chonburi, Sukhothai and Pathum Thani disaster areas, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).

Drought has also heavily affected six other provinces including Tak, Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen.

In central Pathum Thani province, local government officials and the army are straining to distribute water to communities where tap water has been temporarily suspended due to the drought.

More than 50,000 households in the province would have no access to tap water, provincial governor Pongsathorn Sajjacholaphan reportedly said Sunday.

Meanwhile, more than 200,000 households in Lopburi and nearby provinces have also lost piped water as sources have been exhausted.

According to the NNT, in most regions of the country, water levels in major dams have become increasingly low, with abundant water supplies only seen in dams in the southern part.

In the capital, however, there are adequate water supplies for farming activities and tap water services, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration stressed on Monday.

The prolonged water shortage could slightly push up the prices of certain agricultural products, Minister of Commerce Gen. Chatchai Sarikalya said, adding officials are monitoring the pricing. Endi