HUA HIN, Thailand - Thick clouds gather in the night sky, passing over an orange full moon and spreading out to block the coming daylight. It is approaching hot season in Thailand - not a time for storms. But the skies have turned an unseasonable gray, and the sporadic sound of thunder ushers in the rains.
Thailand is suffering from one of the worst droughts in its recent history. Usable water stored in major dams across the country is 6% below last year's level, and water levels in the country's hardest-hit northeastern region are at their lowest ever.
Water in the country's major rivers has also fallen below record lows. The portion of the Moon River that flows through Buri Ram, for example, is 44 centimeters below the lowest level recorded in 2003, the last year Thailand experienced a major drought.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has expressed concern that the country's gross domestic product will be affected by the water shortage. The world's largest rice exporter has already had to cut back on exports, revising this year's export estimate by 15% to 8.5 million tonnes.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) estimated that drought-induced losses have already exceeded 14 billion baht (US$359 million), including 7.4 billion baht in damage to the agricultural sector and 7 billion baht in relief operation costs.
Other countries in the Mekong River region, such as Cambodia and Vietnam, are also suffering from drought. Thailand, however, appears to have one significant advantage over its neighbors: artificial rainmaking.
HUA HIN, Thailand - Thick clouds gather in the night sky, passing over an orange full moon and spreading out to block the coming daylight. It is approaching hot season in Thailand - not a time for storms. But the skies have turned an unseasonable gray, and the sporadic sound of thunder ushers in the rains.
Thailand is suffering from one of the worst droughts in its recent history. Usable water stored in major dams across the country is 6% below last year's level, and water levels in the country's hardest-hit northeastern region are at their lowest ever.
Water in the country's major rivers has also fallen below record lows. The portion of the Moon River that flows through Buri Ram, for example, is 44 centimeters below the lowest level recorded in 2003, the last year Thailand experienced a major drought.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has expressed concern that the country's gross domestic product will be affected by the water shortage. The world's largest rice exporter has already had to cut back on exports, revising this year's export estimate by 15% to 8.5 million tonnes.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) estimated that drought-induced losses have already exceeded 14 billion baht (US$359 million), including 7.4 billion baht in damage to the agricultural sector and 7 billion baht in relief operation costs.
Other countries in the Mekong River region, such as Cambodia and Vietnam, are also suffering from drought. Thailand, however, appears to have one significant advantage over its neighbors: artificial rainmaking.
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