Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on February 22 instructed all provinces to implement measures to prevent and mitigate drought risks in 2026, stressing the need for systematic water resource management to ease hardships for people across all regions.
Arsit Sampanrat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, announced that Thailand officially entered the 2026 hot season starting today until mid-May 2026, according to the Meteorological Department’s announcement dated February 19. This will increase temperatures nationwide, likely affecting daily life, especially due to dry conditions that may impact water availability in many areas.
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, in his role as commander of the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command, has established guidelines to prepare for and address the 2026 drought problem. He has ordered all provincial governors to act, focusing on integrated cooperation among all sectors to support the livelihoods and agricultural areas of the people.
In areas assessed as being at risk of drought, the directive calls for the rapid establishment of incident command centres at provincial, district and local administrative levels to serve as hubs for coordinating resources in support of affected communities. Top priority is given to addressing shortages of domestic water supply. Authorities are required to work closely with the police and the military to monitor and prevent conflicts arising from water disputes, as well as to curb crimes that tend to occur during the dry season, such as theft of agricultural equipment, in order to ease hardships and prevent further difficulties for the public.
Prime Minister Anutin’s directive also calls for the deployment of mobile medical units to provide consultations, monitoring and preventive measures against outbreaks of heat-related diseases, including diarrhoea, cholera and food poisoning. At the same time, relevant Thai agencies are tasked with launching public awareness campaigns on the value of water, promoting water conservation and encouraging proper hygiene practices. All provinces are required to regularly report developments and response activities to the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command until the situation returns to normal./.
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