This year the drought is predicted to rapidly expand into several areas of the nation, resulting in millions more people being affected than last year, according to Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Kongcheep Tantrawanit yesterday.

Kongcheep said Army personnel across the country had been assigned to prepare for this.

He said soldiers were ordered to support the Interior Minister by Deputy PM and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, in his capacity as chief adviser of the National Council for Peace and Order. Soldiers are cooperating with local administrations to clear weeds, particularly around water gates, weirs, canals, and irrigable areas across the country.

The eradication is focused on last year’s drought-affected areas.

Other measures to be launched under General Prawit’s orders are a cooperative project between soldiers and different agencies. These include an artificial rain project by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Royal Thai Air Force.

Also, more than 1,500 wells are expected to be used in February thanks to the Army.

Kongcheep said that 164 projects launched to tackle the drought crisis had been done so far, and the construction of 24 regulating reservoirs (kaem ling) in four provinces was underway.

He said that the weed-eradication operation began this month, and soldiers armed with everything they needed were putting in every effort to fulful their assignment.

He said that many areas had already been competed – Bangkok (Dusit, Min Buri, Klong Sam Wa, and Lat Krabang districts), Samut Prakarn, Ratchaburi, Sa Kaew, Lop Buri, Angthong, Nakhon Sawan, and Phichit.

Kongcheep said the operation was a collaboration between the government sector, private sector, and public sector.

“With the collaboration between every sector, it will help us through such a crisis,” he added.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said the many drought areas included eight districts in Nakhon Ratchasima, six districts in Phayao, five districts in Phitsanulok, three districts in Maha Sarakham, two districts in Nakhon Phanom, and one district in Uttaradit.