Mekong pumps to ease Isan drought
Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department has begun pumping water from the Mekong River and redirecting it to drought-afflicted regions of the Northeast.
The RID has shied away from using the term “diverted”, instead saying only that it is “using” the water as it looks to bypass consultation with the Mekong River Committee. The move follows a 11 January resolution issued by the National Water Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, allowing the RID to use water from the Mekong for agricultural and domestic consumption in times of drought.
