53 provinces hit by drought
Published: 26/03/2010 at 01:24 PM
Online news: Local News
The Interior Ministry's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department on Friday announced that 53 provinces, 382 districts, 2,499 tambons and 1,9,704 villages throughout the country has been declared disaster areas hit by drought.
Of the 53 provinces, 16 are in the North, 15 in the Northeast, eight in the Central, seven in the East, and seven in the South.
The 16 drought-hit provinces in the North are Kamphaeng Phet, Chiang Rai, Tak, Nan, Phayao, Lampang, Lamphun, Phrae, Sukhothai, Uttaradit, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun.
The 15 dought-hit provinces in the Northeast are Khon Kaen, Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Chaiyaphum, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Buri Ram, Mukdahan, Nong Khai, Roi-et, Yasothon, Surin, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, and Nakhon Ratchasima.
The eight Central provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Chai Nat, Lop Buri, and Nakhon Pathom.
The seven eastern provinces are Sa Kaew, Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, Prachin Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Trat and Rayong.
The seven southern provinces are Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Satun, Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Krabi.
A total of 6,482,602 people of 1,755,100 households have been affected. The drought has caused damaged to 147,482 rai of farmland.
The disaster prevention and mitigation offices in these provinces have distributed more than 78 million cubic million litres of water to drought-hit people, repaired 3,645 weirs, dredged 3,985 reservoirs, and installed 689 water pumps to alleviate the people's hardship.
53 provinces hit by drought
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/172810/53-provinces-hit-by-drought
Page last updated at 10:37 GMT, Friday, 5 March 2010
Thailand refuses visa to Dalai Lama's sister
By Rachel Harvey
BBC News, Bangkok
Jetsun Pema was due to give a speech called Tibet: My Story
Thailand has refused to grant a visa to the sister of the Dalai Lama because it does not want to anger China.
Jetsun Pema, younger sister of the Tibetan spiritual leader, was due to be giving a keynote speech at a festival of Tibetan culture in Bangkok
But the Thai Foreign ministry said her visa request was denied over fears her presence could be linked to politics.
China regards Tibet as an integral part of its territory, and considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist.
About 30 Tibetan exiles living in India have been granted visas to take part in the Festival of Tibetan Spirituality, Arts and Cultures, which gets under way in the Thai capital on Friday.
But the guest of honour is missing from the list.
Jetsun Pema, the 69-year-old sister of the Dalai Lama, was supposed to be giving a speech, with the working title Tibet: My Story.
But the Thai government has decided that telling her story could be interpreted by China as a political statement.
A spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry told the BBC: "Thailand has a long-standing policy of not letting any person use Thailand as a base to criticise or undertake activities detrimental to other countries."
The growing trade between Beijing and Bangkok may also have been a factor.
Ironically, in trying to avoid a potential diplomatic spat, the Thai government may well have injected into the cultural festival the very element of politics it was trying to avoid.
BBC News - Thailand refuses visa to Dalai Lama's sister
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8551258.stm
Widespread Fires, Smoky Skies Across Southeast Asia
acquired March 5, 2010
The skies over Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam were extremely smoky on March 5, 2010, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Hundreds of active fires were detected by the sensor; locations are outlined in red.
Many of the fires, particularly in the permanently cultivated lowland areas, are not particularly smoky. This is often a sign that the fires are burning only small amounts of vegetation, such as crop residue or dry grass in pasture. Other fires are generating thick smoke plumes which spread east. These may be accidental fires that spread from agricultural areas into forest areas, or they may be intentional forest-clearing fires.
Widespread fires are a common occurrence in Southeast Asia during the late dry season, and while they are not necessarily immediately hazardous, they can have a significant impact on regional air quality and public health, greenhouse gas emissions, and natural resources.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.
Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS
Widespread Fires, Smoky Skies Across Southeast Asia : Natural Hazards
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=43033&src=eorss-nh
... Meanwhile, in the northern province of Uttaradit, the Sirikit Dam is also facing the lowest water levels in 10 years, causing sandbars on which cars can pass through and people can take a walk.
Dam director Somkid Khaengraeng said its water levels are now in crisis, as there is only 1.46 billion cubic metres, while the Royal Irrigation Department requires the dam to daily release water at 24 million cubic metres in order to help drought victims in the area.
Mr Somkid also urged local residents to use the water prudently and to avoid growing off-season paddy fields, for crops will be damaged due to water shortage.
If rice farmers do not stop rice farming, he warned, the dam can only release water for another 75 days, for the rest of the water must be kept as backup supply in the reservoir. (TNA)
March 5, 2010
วันศุกร์ ที่ 05 มี.ค. 2553
http://www.mcot.net/content/28516
RED LINE: Water levels in 2010 (Buddhist year 2553)
GREEN LINE: Water levels in 2009 (Buddhist year 2552)
BLUE SHADING: Reserves available in 2010
MAUVE SHADING: Reserves available in 2009
March 5, 2010
วันศุกร์ ที่ 05 มี.ค. 2553
http://www.sirikitdam.egat.com/sk_plant/hydroweb/test00.php
