Rich farmers move in, use up all the water
Small farmers left without water after large rich farmers from other provinces move in, start big farms & use up all the water.
Small farmers left without water after large rich farmers from other provinces move in, start big farms & use up all the water.
Rice farmer Yotin Kwanwaree looks at his arid fields in Tak’s Phop Phra district where water shortages have become a major problem every year (Photo by: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd).
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Farmers point finger at thirsty cash crops for water shortage
Outside investors are growing roses, maize and potatoes and leaving locals high and dry
19/04/2012
Apinya Wipatayotin
The severe water shortage in Tak's Phop Phra district may leave farmer Yotin Kwanwaree with no choice but to sell off his 7 rai rice paddy.
The problem has become more and more severe over the past few years, Mr Yotin said.
The 42-year-old farmer from tambon Chong Kheb blamed rapid expansion of large mono-crop plantations in the locality for causing the water crisis.
He said agribusiness investors from other provinces recently came to the district and leased locals' farmland for large cash crop plantations. They grow roses, maize and potatoes, which consume large amounts of water, Mr Yotin said.
"There have been no water shortages in the past. There was always enough water supply for the villagers' farmland," he said.
But the situation has changed. There is less and less water supply because those rich farmers install water pumping machines and pump all the water from natural sources to feed their farms.
Phop Phra is known to be the country's largest rose production base.
Sompong Sribua, chief of Chong Kheb tambon administrative organisation, said drought hit the tambon every year as the demand for water continued to rise because of the area's increasing population.
There are only 12,000 registered residents in the tambon, but there are more than 100,000 non-registered residents living in the locality, with 80% of them from Myanmar, he said.
The TAO had set aside a budget of at least 4 million baht to deal with the water shortage each year, Mr Sompong said.
Water trucks will be sent out to distribute water to needy households.
"I am afraid the growing amount of people and agricultural land will worsen the water shortage," he said.
The TAO is looking for other sources of water for residents.
Initially, they planned to divert water from Um Piem River, which is about 50km from the tambon. However, they had to scrap the project as the river is situated in a watershed area where all activities that would affect the ecological system are banned.
Mr Sompong said the TAO planned to build a water pump station to pump water from the Ping River instead. The TAO might have to buy coal from Myanmar for use as fuel to run the water pumps, he said.
The TAO also plans to construct a medium-sized reservoir to hold water during droughts and reduce the flood impact in the rainy season.
Lamphun Manainil, a member of the Ping River committee in Tak province, urged the government to fully implement a forest conservation policy because Tak's forests are the headwater of the Mae Klong River.
The government has not taken care of watershed areas in the province. The Bhumibol dam, the country's biggest dam, is located in our province, but Tak villagers are still facing a water shortage," Mr Lamphun said.
He also urged agencies to regulate cash crop plantations in the province as the activities consume large amounts of water.
All nine districts of Tak have been declared drought disaster zones.
The northern province's struggling farmers can only hope for salvation.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Farmers point finger at thirsty cash crops for water shortage, Outside investors are growing roses, maize and potatoes and leaving locals high and dry, 19/04/2012, Apinya Wipatayotin, link)
Drought Vocabulary
drought - a period of time when there is very little rain and water available ความแห้งแล้ง (See Wikipedia)
shortage - when there are not enough goods for people to buy การขาดแคลน
water shortage - a time when there is not enough water
severe - very serious and worrying ที่รุนแรง ที่น่าเป็นห่วง
severe water shortage
arid - very dry and no water
arid fields
crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤตการณ์ วิกฤต
water crisis - a time when there is no water (for farmers, homes or businesses)
Rice farmer Yotin Kwanwaree looks at his arid fields in Tak’s Phop Phra district where water shortages have become a major problem every year.
point finger at - blame
cash - money เงินสด
cash crop - cash crop is an agricultural crop which is grown for sale for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm (See Wikipedia)
Farmers point finger at thirsty cash crops for water shortage
maize - corn (eaten as food, made into flour or fed to animals ) ข้าวโพด (See Wikipedia)
locals - people who live in a nearby area ชาวบ้าน
leave high and dry - not help someone in a difficult situation (leave people in a difficult situation without helping them)
Outside investors are growing roses, maize and potatoes and leaving locals high and dry
leave with no choice but to - they must do it (they have no "choice")
paddy - 1. land that rice is grown on; 2. rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
7 rai rice paddy
The severe water shortage in Tak's Phop Phra district may leave farmer Yotin Kwanwaree with no choice but to sell off his 7 rai rice paddy. The problem has become more and more severe over the past few years, Mr Yotin said.
rapid - happening quickly อย่างรวดเร็ว
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
rapid expansion - growing bigger quickly
plantations - a large farms (usually in a tropical country with many workers working for usually low wages, plantations usually growing commodity crops such as sugar, pineapples, coffee, or rubber)
mono - one
mono-crop - one crop
mono-crop plantations - a large farm growing large amounts of one crop
locality - a local area or community
rapid expansion of large mono-crop plantations in the locality
The 42-year-old farmer from tambon Chong Kheb blamed rapid expansion of large mono-crop plantations in the locality for causing the water crisis.
agribusiness - an agricultural and farming related business (revenues from sales of agricultural products or sales to agricultural producers) (See Wikipedia)
lease - rent, pay money to use for a period of time (under an agreement or contract)
lease farmland
cash crop plantations
consume - to use a supply of something ใช้จนหมดไป
consume large amounts of water - use large amounts of water
He said agribusiness investors from other provinces recently came to the district and leased locals' farmland for large cash crop plantations. They grow roses, maize and potatoes, which consume large amounts of water, Mr Yotin said. "There have been no water shortages in the past. There was always enough water supply for the villagers' farmland," he said.
pump - เครื่องสูบ
water pump - เครื่องสูบน้ำ
water pumping machines - Same as "water pump"
install - put a piece of equipment somewhere and make it ready to be used ติดตั้งอุปกรณ์
install water pumping machines
source - where something comes from
natural - found in nature (not made in a factory by humans) ตามธรรมชาติ
natural sources of water
But the situation has changed. There is less and less water supply because those rich farmers install water pumping machines and pump all the water from natural sources to feed their farms.
base - a place from where an activity can be planned and operated ฐานที่มั่น
production base - a place where certain goods are produced (with factories or farms producing these goods)
the country's largest rose production base
Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) - the name of the most important unit of local government in Thailand in farming areas
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
demand for water
population - all the people who live in one country, area or place กลุ่มพืชและสัตว์ที่อาศัยอยู่ในบริเวณหนึ่ง
registered - officially recorded by the government
residents - people who live in a particular place or area ชาวบ้านในบริเวณ ผู้อาศัยในบริเวณ
registered residents in the tambon
non-registered residents
Phop Phra is known to be the country's largest rose production base. Sompong Sribua, chief of Chong Kheb tambon administrative organisation, said drought hit the tambon every year as the demand for water continued to rise because of the area's increasing population. There are only 12,000 registered residents in the tambon, but there are more than 100,000 non-registered residents living in the locality, with 80% of them from Myanmar, he said.
budget - the amounts of money that an organisation has available to spend on different things during a period งบประมาณ (See Wikipedia)
set aside a budget - keep or "budget" money for some special use or project
distribute - to give something such as food, clothes or money to a group of people แจกจ่าย
needy - not having enough money, food, clothing, etc. ยากไร้
households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)
distribute water to needy households - give water to poor families
The TAO had set aside a budget of at least 4 million baht to deal with the water shortage each year, Mr Sompong said. Water trucks will be sent out to distribute water to needy households. "I am afraid the growing amount of people and agricultural land will worsen the water shortage," he said. The TAO is looking for other sources of water for residents.
divert - make travel in a different direction, along a different route เปลี่ยนเส้นทาง
divert water - send water in another direction, to another place
scrap - to get rid of; to stop using or accepting เลิก, ทิ้ง
scrap the project - end the project, abandon the project
watershed
situated - located ระบุที่อยู่ ที่ตั้ง ตั้งอยู่ที่
situated in a watershed area
ecological system
banned - officially not allowed to do something ถูกห้าม ห้ามอย่างเป็นทางการ ถูกตัดสิทธิ ห้าม ห้างอย่างเด็ดขาด
station - a place where some activity takes place (for example: power station, police station, fire station, space station, way station)
water pump station
fuel to run the water pumps
Initially, they planned to divert water from Um Piem River, which is about 50km from the tambon. However, they had to scrap the project as the river is situated in a watershed area where all activities that would affect the ecological system are banned. Mr Sompong said the TAO planned to build a water pump station to pump water from the Ping River instead. The TAO might have to buy coal from Myanmar for use as fuel to run the water pumps, he said.
reservoir - a natural or artificial lake where water is stored อ่างเก็บน้ำ
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
flood impact
reduce the flood impact
urged - requested them to do, advised someone very strongly about what action should be taken วิงวอน
implement - put a plan into action, make a plan work นำมาใช้ นำ แผนหรือนโยบายมาปฏิบัติ
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes (See Wikipedia) นโยบาย
implement a policy
conservation - the protection of plants, animals and the environment, especially animal and animal species from extinction อนุรักษ์ and interesting and important structures and buildings, especially from the damaging effects of human activity การอนุรักษ์ธรรมชาติ, การป้องกันความสูญเสีย, การสงวนไว้
forest conservation - protecting forests (from loggers cutting down trees, from businesses and resorts from encroaching on forest)
forest conservation policy
fully implement a forest conservation policy
headwater - river source, the source of a river, the place where a river starts (See Wikipedia)
the headwater of the Mae Klong River
Bhumibol dam
The TAO also plans to construct a medium-sized reservoir to hold water during droughts and reduce the flood impact in the rainy season. Lamphun Manainil, a member of the Ping River committee in Tak province, urged the government to fully implement a forest conservation policy because Tak's forests are the headwater of the Mae Klong River. The government has not taken care of watershed areas in the province. The Bhumibol dam, the country's biggest dam, is located in our province, but Tak villagers are still facing a water shortage," Mr Lamphun said.
regulate - to control an activity officially by using rules ควบคุม
regulate cash crop plantations
disaster - something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people ความหายนะ ภัยพิบัติ
drought disaster zones
struggling - having serious difficulties มีความยุ่งยาก
struggling farmers
salvation - something or someone that helps someone in a bad or dangerous situation สิ่งที่ช่วยให้รอดชีวิตมาได้
can only hope for salvation
He also urged agencies to regulate cash crop plantations in the province as the activities consume large amounts of water. All nine districts of Tak have been declared drought disaster zones. The northern province's struggling farmers can only hope for salvation.
