BANGKOK, June 4 (UPI) -- Water levels have dropped so dramatically at many dams in Thailand not enough is available for irrigation, officials said Friday.
Suthas Pattamasiriwat, head of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, said water levels match the records set in 1992, The Bangkok Post reported. At one major dam, Pasak Jolasid, the drought is affecting electricity production because water is not available for cooling at the Wang Noy power plant.
Water from the low reservoirs is now being released only for consumption, Suthas added. Unless rain falls soon, the country could require consumers to ration water.
The Agriculture Ministry has created an emergency committee on the water supply and has advised farmers to postpone rice planting until mid-July, when meteorologists predict rain.
