Prachuap Khiri Khan faces severe drought

Prachuap Khiri Khan province is facing severe drought conditions, with more than 512 million litres of water already distributed to households lacking water for daily use.

Deputy Governor Prateep Boriboonrat chaired a meeting on 6 May to monitor the drought situation, the fourth such meeting held by the province this year. The meeting took place at Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Hall and was attended by officials from the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, heads of government agencies and related organisations.

Officials reported that drought disaster areas have been declared in three districts, covering seven subdistricts and 66 villages. A total of 44,407 people from 18,968 households have been affected.

The declared areas include two subdistricts and 22 villages in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan, one subdistrict and six villages in Pran Buri, and four subdistricts and 38 villages in Thap Sakae.

Four more districts are preparing documents to request drought disaster declarations. These areas cover 11 subdistricts, 93 villages and two communities, affecting 17,914 people from 15,822 households.

The districts are Bang Saphan, Bang Saphan Noi, Hua Hin and Pran Buri. In Hua Hin, three subdistricts and 26 villages have been identified as being at risk of shortages of water for consumption and daily use.
Damage surveys under way

Relevant agencies have been instructed to speed up surveys of drought-related damage before submitting the information to district and provincial disaster assistance committees.

The process is intended to allow emergency government funds to be disbursed under Ministry of Finance regulations, particularly for agricultural areas affected by the drought.

According to the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Agriculture Office, as of May 5, a total of 7,127.5 rai of agricultural land had been affected. The damage covers 2,238 farming households in 38 subdistricts and 183 villages.

Water distribution continues

Provincial authorities said they have worked with related agencies to pump water and deploy trucks carrying clean water to affected households. More than 512 million litres have already been distributed, and assistance will continue until the dry season has passed.

The Upper Southern Royal Rainmaking Operations Centre has carried out 105 flights, covering 17 watershed areas.
However, officials said the terrain has limited the effectiveness of rainmaking operations in some target areas.

The Provincial Waterworks Authority’s Prachuap Khiri Khan branch has also installed a mobile water treatment plant at the Bo Nok water production station. The plant can produce 200 cubic metres of water per hour and uses raw water from Khlong Kui Buri to support supply in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The move follows a sharp drop in water at Khlong Bueng Reservoir in Ao Noi, where levels have fallen to 4 percent.

For the medium and long term, the province plans to use water management maps prepared by local administrative organisations in all eight districts. Officials also plan to improve water sources to increase the province’s overall raw water supply.