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 were cut from 28 million cubic metres per day to 18 million cu/m 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.
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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.
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.
Many residents in Moo 4 have raised their cattle in their parched rice fields, he said. More than 4,000 rai of paddy in the area is gradually dying.
Wichien Phuanglamjiak, president of the Thai Agriculturist Association, said he disagreed with the government's order to ban the pumping of water for farming.
The farmers were forced to give in and bear the brunt in order to follow the order, he said.
Farmers need water during this period when rice crops are growing, and if there is no water, crops will die, Mr Wichien said.
Meanwhile, all 333 irrigation pumping stations along the Chao Phraya River yesterday were shut down to maintain supplies for tap water production downstream, said Lertviroj Kowattana, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID).
Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda deployed administrative and military officers to oversee the stations.
"Closing the pumping stations is necessary. We have to set the system 'to zero' as water is now inadequate," said Mr Lertviroj.
He also blamed some farmers for hoarding water for their farms.
Authorities are trying to mitigate the effects of the irrigation water cuts, though damage may be inevitable, he said.
He said the RID estimated 1.48 million rai of rice paddy fields would be damaged by water shortages in the Chao Phraya River basin. Suphan Buri, Nakhon Sawan, Phitsanulok and Pathum Thani are among the hardest hit provinces.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government is trying to build farmers' understanding on the need to switch from growing rice to other crops.
