The National Water Resources Committee (NWRC) came up with this figure at the end of November as it does every year, and after seeing these numbers, I must say it is of serious concern and I wonder how we will be able to survive yet another drought.

After meeting the NWRC on Monday, the authorities instructed concerned officials to review the possibility of drawing water from the Salween on the West and the Mekong on the East to fill our fast depleting dams.

I’m just wondering if this will really pull us out of our water problems. Water diversion has always been one of the solutions engineered to tackle drought issues here in Thailand, but after following this issue for over a decade, I’ve learned that this and several other related projects have been “dusted off ambitions”.

Though diverting water from the Salween River may not pose much of a challenge as it only runs through Thailand and Myanmar, but pumping water from the Mekong may be a bit more complicated because there are not two, but six countries that have to share this river. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) seems to have been working well in modernising rules and regulations to help regulate this river and the use of its resources, with all diversions being controlled in some way.

Unfortunately, the rules are far too weak to cope with the rising demand for water, and Thailand, which is in a desperate state, is determined to rely on the river’s stocks. The MRC, the only body regulating the river, states that all neighbouring countries have to be notified in advance if any water is diverted from the river, though this cannot guarantee the avoidance of any adverse impacts as this rule does not require anything serious other than a notification.

Pumping water out of rivers, apart from having an adverse environmental impact, can also trigger conflicts between countries. Also, since river-bank erosion is one of the most serious and immediate threats, few countries go for this option. Therefore, the biggest question at his point is whether it is time for Thailand to come up with a sustainable solution as well as an integrated water-management system instead of suffering every time the country is hit by drought. To ensure that there is enough water for everybody, well-planned management of water stocks is one thing, but what is really necessary is a holistic view for a more sustainable solution. In order to achieve that, each individual needs to change their water-wasting behaviour so proper water-management can have a chance. Otherwise it will become very difficult for us to escape from the scarcity of water and clashes with others.

Certainly, the problem of declining price is a result of the state of the world market. But the government also has a duty to help local farmers from being severely affected by the falling rubber prices.

In fact, this problem has been experienced by previous governments. It became heavily politicised during the tenure of Yingluck Shinawatra’s government. At that time, rubber farmers demanded the administration raise the rubber price to Bt120 a kilogram. They also took part in a street protest held by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee after the government failed to act. The price situation for rubber growers today is far worse, as the price is at a historic low.

In early 2015, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said that it was “very easy” to raise the rubber price to Bt80 a kilo. He must have realised by now that it is easier said than done.

In fact, there are also other farm crops that are hit by the problem of low prices. If the government fails to solve the problem, growers of those crops are likely to take to the streets in the same way the rubber farmers are doing. The newly promulgated public gathering law alone is unlikely to discourage them from holding street protests. It is easy for people in real trouble to ignore a ban on public gatherings.

PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, who led the street protests against the previous government before the military takeover in May 2014, is also feeling the heat from this ongoing wrath of the rubber growers. They are calling for him to lead their protest – in the same way he did during the previous administration’s tenure. And they also asked him to make sacrifices in the same way he told them to do so.

Suthep, who said he has quit politics but still has offered political views and retained influence in the Democrat Party, reacted awkwardly to the call by the rubber growers. He did not make it clear if he wanted to lead their latest rally for higher rubber prices. But Suthep said that he was ready to “be at their side in finding ways to solve the problem”.

He also called on the rubber farmers to think carefully whether a street protest was necessary in their campaign. “I believe that the government has heard your call. The government also needs to make it clear that they have heard,” Suthep said.

It is no secret that Suthep has maintained close ties with the military. He often came out publicly to defend the military and the post-coup government led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his National Council for Peace and Order.

As it has turned out, Suthep has not led the rubber growers’ rally. Instead, he seems to be persuading them not to protest against the government.

However, his call for the government to buy rubber at Bt60 a kilo – as demanded by the growers – drew an abrupt denial from General Prayut, who responded angrily: “Tell me, where to get the money?”

As the price situation is getting worse, it will be increasingly difficult for Suthep to maintain a good balance between retaining support base among the rubber growers in the South and keeping good ties with the military.