Farmers defy ban, continue to pump water

Farmers in several drought-stricken provinces in the Chao Phraya River basin have refused to comply with the government order to stop pumping water for agriculture use

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The government ordered farmers to stop pumping water for crops and this is their response, adding that it is simple: Without water, the rice dies. CHANAT KATANYU

Farmers defy govt water pumping ban

Huge losses feared from parched crops

POST REPORTERS

Farmers in several drought-stricken provinces in the Chao Phraya River basin have spurned the government's calls to halt pumping water for agricultural use.

The move came as water discharges from four major dams in the Chao Phraya River basin are being gradually cut from 28 million cubic metres per day to 18 million cu/m starting Thursday. The government only wanted water supplies to be used for consumption and drinking.

In Nakhon Sawan's Banphot Phisai district, farmers placed more than 60 pumping machines in a public waterway to siphon water into their farmland.

Many of the farmers insisted that if no water is pumped to feed their paddy fields, their crops would suffer tremendous damage.

Chinnakorn Kriangyakul, chief of the Tha Ngew Tambon Administration Organisation in the district, said farmers need water for their paddies since the government earlier gave the green light for them to grow crops after May.

Rice crops are now one or two months old, and need water, he said.

Officials should visit the areas to heed farmers' concerns and help them find a solution, Mr Chinnakorn said.

In the nearby province of Phichit, farmers in the area under the Dong Setthi operation and maintenance project for irrigation brought pumping machines to divert water from an irrigation canal to feed more than 50,000 rai of paddy fields.

The pumping of water has been carried out around the clock to hoard more water for farming.

In Chai Nat's Hankha district, farmers converged to pump water from the Tha Chin River to feed more than 2,000 rai of paddy fields, which are dying from water shortages.

The locals also collected 29,500 baht among themselves to buy fuel for pumping machines.

Farmers in the district are now relying on the Tha Chin River, which is eight kilometres away, because the Makham Tao U-Thong canal, which they normally use, has dried up, said Siam Wongseng, mayor of tambon Banchien in the district.

Some farmers used up their last savings on fuel expenses because if no water is pumped in, their investments in growing rice crops will be in vain, Mr Siam said.

Farmers in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district put sandbags to block the entrance of Khlong 7 in order to pump into their orchards and rice fields. PONGPAT WONGYALA

In Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district, more than 100 residents yesterday scrambled to sandbag the entrance of Khlong 7, which connects to Khlong Rangsit Prayoonsak, to pump water into their orchards and rice fields.

A 70-year-old man in tambon Khlong 7 said the residents in three tambons hastily pumped water to feed their farmland, adding that if there is no water, the rice crops will die and they will face losses.

He also pleaded with authorities to sympathise with the residents and let them pump out the water for only three days, he said.

Meanwhile, some villagers started buying water to feed their crops.

In Ayutthaya's Sena district, Sa-ngiam Sapphued, a farmer, said he had to borrow money to buy water at a cost of 800 baht per water truck to feed his 40 rai of rice fields, which are dying.

Mr Sa-ngiam said he decided to buy water because Irrigation Canal 7, which he regularly used, had dried up, partly because some farmers earlier tried to hoard water for their farms.

In Suphan Buri's Muang district, many farmers failed to maintain their rice crops due to the water shortage and decided to let their crops die.

Watcharin Kerd-eaim, Moo 7 village headman in Muang district's tambon Talingchan, said more than 98% of the rice crops grown in the tambon have perished.

You can read the full story here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/625280/farmers-defy-govt-water-pumping-ban

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