Water Authority Reports April to June Will See Extreme Weather Variability With Drought and Rainfall Swings; Second Half of Year Faces Drought Risk

On May 7, 2025, Theerachun Boonsit, Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, announced that the department is accelerating assistance measures following directives from Minister Suchat Chomklin to increase drinking water and domestic water supplies, support village water systems, reserve water in drought-prone areas, and distribute water to support agriculture. Theerachun stated that he has instructed the Water Situation Analysis and Assessment Unit to compile and monitor water data, while ordering regional water resource offices 1-11 to continuously track conditions in their jurisdictions and expedite efforts to ensure adequate access to drinking water and agricultural water across vulnerable areas. Currently, 294 surface water sources with a combined capacity of 564.13 million cubic meters hold 332.71 million cubic meters of water, representing 58.98 percent capacity to meet public water needs.

Since October 2024 to present, assistance efforts across 31 provinces have deployed 115 water pumps with combined pumping volume of 16.68 million cubic meters and distributed 3.94 million liters of drinking water, benefiting 96,048 households comprising 333,487 people. Agricultural areas benefited total 168,271 rai, including 145,838 rai of fruit orchards and 22,433 rai of rice paddies.

Theerachun further noted that the department is monitoring global climate trends based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which forecasts that Southeast Asian countries including Thailand will be influenced by ENSO-Neutral conditions from April to June 2025, potentially causing variable early-season rainfall with scattered showers or localized rain in some areas. The second half of the year shows increased drought risk due to declining water reserves and soil moisture, though sporadic heavy rainfall in short periods may occur, requiring low-lying and foothill areas to remain vigilant against floods and flash flooding. The Water Authority is implementing proactive readiness measures including water retention, monitoring, and impact mitigation to ensure continuous water security for the public.