Maha Sarakham districts have no water at all, Phuket gets first decent rain for the year
Tap water has run completely dry in six villages in a Maha Sarakham district, right in the middle of Thailand’s north-east Isaan region, in what’s been described as the worst drought in 40 years.
Tap-water sources dried up early this year for 689 households in Phayakkhaphum Phisai district and now all other surface and underground water sources have been exhausted as well, according to he kamnan in the tambon of Mek Dam, Hom Utsa.
He pleaded with the authorities to provide emergency aid saying he’d seen nothing as bad in four decades.
Hom said water pumped from Huai Lampang Chu had proved to be insufficient.
Meanwhile water-short Phuket has had its first drenching for the year with substantial rains that covered most of the island last night. A thunderstorm approached from the south east and hit the island about 11pm Saturday night. The storm brought localised flooding between 11pm and 1am and then tapered off until just after daylight.
Phuket has been hit by the worst water shortages in recent decades after the island’s three main catchments dropped to less than 10% capacity and many residents have been without running water for up to six weeks. 22 water tanks rolled across the island’s Sarasin Bridge on Thursday from Nakhon Si Thammarat Army forces to provide relief, principally for residents in the island’s east coast Rassada area.
