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Thailand's northern provinces hit by worst drought in decades

Thailand’s northeastern provinces of Buriram and Sakon Nakhon are being plagued by the worst drought in decades and are in urgent need of assistance.
Thailand’s northeastern provinces of Buriram and Sakon Nakhon arebeing plagued by the worst drought in decades and are in urgent need ofassistance.

Buriram residents are calling for helpfrom related agencies as their wells have dried up and drinking wateris in extremely short supply. The supply of water in some villages mightonly last for a further week. Many communities say the drought there isthe worst in 20 years.

Over 170 households havebeen affected by the dry spell. Local authorities have been urgedrepeatedly to dredge local wells in a bid to store more water on anannual basis.

In Sakon Nakhon, sluice gates havebeen closed as water levels in the provincial reservoir drop to 60percent of total capacity. Over 10,000 rai of agricultural land has beenimpacted by the dire shortage of water. Generally, farmers can growrice and other crops up until the end of March, with a sufficient supplyof water.-VNA
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