Severe Drought his Thai North and Northeast

BANGKOK, January 30 (TNA) - Drought prevails in Thailand’s North and Northeast. The Mekong River is drying quickly, prompting Lao business operators, who depend entirely on products from Thailand, to build up their stocks of goods for fear that cargo boats would not be able to sail across the river in the dry season. People in Nakhon Phanom Province do not only suffer from cold weather but also from the lack of rain, which has already caused a drop of the Mekong River level to 2.50 meters. This is the third consecutive year that the province experiences such a severe drought. The Mekong River has become critically shallower in Tha Uthen and That Phanom District, the two busiest border markets in the province. The shallowing river delays Thai cargo deliveries to Laos’s Khammouane province as cargo boats have to make a detour of additional 2-3 kilometers to offload their goods. Kiatpong Kitisriworaphan, mayor of Tha Uthen municipality, said cargo transportation has become more costly recently due to the drought and he fears that it may have to stop for months in this dry season. In northern Lamphun province, authorities warn local people of possible drought as the four main rivers in the province are quickly drying. People can now walk across the Ping and the Tha Rivers comfortably. (TNA)