Central Region Flood and Drought Meeting August 9, 2026

Thairath•Politics•17d ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphas chaired a meeting on August 9, 2026, to prepare for floods and droughts in the Central region.

•The meeting of the Committee for Prevention and Resolution of Flood and Drought Problems in the Central Region took place on August 9, 2026.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas served as the chairperson of the meeting at Ayothaya Meeting Room, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Hall.
•Varawut Silpa-archa expressed concern regarding water shortages caused by El Nino and proposed several mitigation strategies.
•The meeting discussed specific issues in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces.

Overview

•On August 9, 2026, Ekniti Nitithanpraphas chaired the first meeting of the Committee for Prevention and Resolution of Flood and Drought Problems in the Central Region for the year 2026.
•The meeting was held in accordance with the Office of the Prime Minister Order 275/2026 regarding the appointment of regional committees for flood and drought prevention.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas stated that Thailand is experiencing El Nino, which is predicted to become more severe next year, causing drought and severe weather fluctuations.
•Seri Suparatit summarized water and drought situations, while the Office of National Water Resources and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency presented management and technology reports.
•Varawut Silpa-archa proposed that water should be stored before November and December when rain stops to prevent shortages if a Super El Nino occurs.
•Varawut Silpa-archa suggested using royal rainmaking to mitigate water shortages since many dams still lack water despite current humidity.
•Varawut Silpa-archa proposed the 'wet and dry' rice cultivation technique to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to save water and fuel.
•Varawut Silpa-archa stated that the 'wet and dry' rice cultivation technique could save nearly 50% of water and half of the fuel used for irrigation.

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Key Entities

Person

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance who chaired the meeting for the Central region.

Varawut Silpa-archa(วราวุธ ศิลปอาชา)ℹ️

Minister of Industry who proposed water storage and modern rice cultivation techniques.

Surasak Pancharoenworakul(สุรศักดิ์ พันธ์เจริญวรกุล)

Minister of Tourism and Sports who attended the meeting.

Pharadon Prisnanantakul(ภราดร ปริศนานันทกุล)

Minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister who attended the meeting.

Seri Suparatit(เสรี ศุภราทิตย์)

Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Warning Council Foundation who summarized water and drought trends.

Anutin Charnvirakul(อนุทิน ชาญวีรกูล)ℹ️

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior who ordered the appointment of Deputy Prime Ministers to oversee regional flood and drought issues.

Organization

Committee for Prevention and Resolution of Flood and Drought Problems in the Central Region(คณะกรรมการป้องกันและแก้ไขปัญหาอุทกภัยและภัยแล้งในพื้นที่ภาคกลาง)

The committee tasked with managing flood and drought issues in the Central region.

Office of the Prime Minister(สำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี)

The government office that issued Order 275/2026.

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The ministry led by Ekniti Nitithanpraphas.

Ministry of Industry(กระทรวงอุตสาหกรรม)ℹ️

The ministry led by Varawut Silpa-archa.

Ministry of Tourism and Sports(กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา)ℹ️

The ministry led by Surasak Pancharoenworakul.

National Disaster Warning Council Foundation(มูลนิธิสภาเตือนภัยพิบัติแห่งชาติ)

The foundation whose vice chairman, Seri Suparatit, provided drought forecasts.

Ministry of Interior(กระทรวงมหาดไทย)ℹ️

The ministry that issued an urgent letter on August 7, 2026, regarding flood and drought preparation.

Office of National Water Resources (ONWR)(สำนักงานทรัพยากรน้ำแห่งชาติ (สทนช.))

The agency that reported on flood and drought management in the Central region.

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization)(สำนักงานพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีอวกาศและภูมิสารสนเทศ (องค์การมหาชน))ℹ️

The agency that presented on using geo-informatics technology to solve water issues.

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation(กรมป้องกันและบรรเทาสาธารณภัย (ปภ.))

A department providing support for flood and drought prevention.

Ministry of Defence(กระทรวงกลาโหม)ℹ️

A ministry providing support for flood and drought prevention.

Ministry of Public Health(กระทรวงสาธารณสุข)

A ministry providing support for flood and drought prevention.

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives(กระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์)

The ministry Varawut Silpa-archa requested to support wet and dry rice cultivation.

Place

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya(พระนครศรีอยุธยา)

The province where the meeting was held and where flood prevention was discussed.

Prachuap Khiri Khan(ประจวบคีรีขันธ์)ℹ️

The province where drought prevention was discussed.

Law

Office of the Prime Minister Order 275/2026(คำสั่งสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรีที่ 275/2569)

The order appointing the regional committee for flood and drought prevention.

Policy

Wet and Dry Rice Cultivation(ปลูกข้าวแบบเปียกสลับแห้ง)

A proposed modern rice cultivation technique to save water and fuel.