Drought Hitting Chiang Rai Province Hard

 

CHIANG RAI – Chiang Rai’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office have reported that worsening drought has caused heavy damage to Chiang Rai province. One of Chiang Rai’s many rivers, the Mae Chan, has dried up, affecting 30,000 Rai of farmland.

Chiang Rai’s Pa Daet, Wiang Chiang Rung, Mae Chan, Mae Sai and Mae Suai districts have been declared disaster zones.

Chiang Rai’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, has asked its residents to use water efficiently in order for the province’s water supply to last through the whole dry season. This year’s drought will last longer than in the previous years, adding that there will be enough water for cultivation in some areas only.

The office has therefore warned the province’s 18 districts to brace for the upcoming impact. Despite the decreasing water supply, the province has yet to declare any of its districts drought disaster zones.

Authorities have also urged the locals to store water for use in their homes, while asking them to consume water in the most efficient way possible.