A great majority of people in the country are concerned about the drought situation, an opinion survey by Bangkok University showed.
The Bangkok Poll survey showed that 72.5 per cent of the 1,182 respondents nationwide expressed worry about the drought this year.
The survey found that the majority of people — 50.5 per cent — are concerned about farmers’ income due to damage to agriculture because of the drought while 49.1 per cent were worried about supply of drinking water. Nearly 49 per cent worried about agricultural products becoming more expensive.
When asked how worried they were about the drought, expected to be the second most severe since 1979, 72.5 per cent said they were very worried while 27.5 per cent had no concerns.
About 81.5 per cent of people said they were prepared to cope with the drought, while 67.8 per cent planned to use water more economically. Some 20 per cent said they had stocked up on drinking water and 18 per cent said they had bought water tanks. Meanwhile, 18.5 per cent said they had not made any preparations and thought there would be enough water.
When asked about the impact of the drought on their lives and careers, 53.3 per cent believed it would be severe while 46.7 per cent did not think it would be much.
Asked about their confidence in the Office of the National Water Resources to tackle the drought so that Thai people would have water throughout the year, a great majority — 57 per cent — had little faith in their abilities while 43 per cent believed that they would solve the problem.
