The cabinet approved 9.18 billion baht from the Central Fund today, to be used to bolster the efficiency of water management ahead of an anticipated increase in rainfall caused by La Niña.
Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said that the budget will be divided between three ministries. 5.6 billion baht is for the Interior Ministry, 2.5 billion for the Agriculture Ministry and about a billion for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The National Water Resources Office has been assigned to follow up on all the water management projects to be implemented by the three ministries.
Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department offered an assurance today that its four major dams, namely Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kwae Noi Bumrung Dan and Pasak Jolasid, the reservoirs behind which are currently holding a combined 11.595 billion cubic metres of water, still have capacity to hold another 13.276 billion cubic metres.
At the moment, the major and medium-sized reservoirs throughout the country are holding a combined total of 44.338 billion cubic metres of water, representing 58% of their combined total capacities. Of this combined total of water in storage, about 20 million cubic metres are usable and all the reservoirs still have the combined capacity to hold another 31.9 million cubic metres.
In addition to enhanced water management, to solve the twin problems of flooding and drought, the government has set a target to increase irrigated farmland to 6.4 million hectares, from the current 5.6 million hectares, in the next three years.
