The lake behind Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri province is shrinking, with water occupying only 15% of its capacity, which can meet the needs for drinking and farming for approximately four months.
Chupong Isarat, who heads the Pasak Jolasid Dam Water Distribution and Maintenance Project, mentioned that there is only about 148 million cubic metres of water remaining, so it's necessary to decrease the release of water from the lake from 3.4 million cubic metres per day to just 1.3 million cubic metres, starting this week, as planned by the Royal Irrigation Department.
With proper management, he stated that the remaining water will be adequate for drinking, irrigation, and sustaining the ecosystem for approximately four months.
Chupong also indicated that if the current drought persists, the Royal Irrigation Department will seek assistance from the Royal Rain-making and Agricultural Aviation Department to carry out cloud seeding operations.
He also conveyed that farmers will be instructed to postpone the next rice crop planting until the rainy season arrives, as their crops could otherwise be harmed by insufficient water.
The lake behind Pasak Jolasid Dam is one of the four key water sources that support agricultural land in the Chao Phraya river basin, which is the country's main rice-growing region.