The land cracks under the heat of the sun. Plants turn to brown like the color of the soil. Under usual circumstances, the land would have been a verdant green but it is the dry season, and the last rain was a couple of months ago. It will be a few more months yet before the rainy season begins.
This is the scene from a village on the way to Kampung Phluk and the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. This is not the only place suffering from the effects of the long-drawn-out dry season. In many parts of the country as well as in neighboring countries like Myanmar’s Dry Zone and Thailand’s northeast region, the land is dry.
The dry season in the Lower Mekong region can be as harsh as the wet season. While in Thailand and Myanmar the hot/dry season generally lasts for 2-3 months, it can be more severe in this part of Cambodia, lasting for nearly five months with minimal to zero rainfall.
These long dry spells have, of course, serious, if not grave, effects on the lives of the people and the communities.
No water, no livelihood
For the countries in the Lower Mekong, water plays a critical and vital role in the livelihood of many families. On the way to the Kampong Phluk village, a boat driver explains that with the dry season and the low water level, tourism is also slow. This means reduced income for the many village folks who try to earn extra by working as boat men, ferrying tourists to see the village and the Tonle Sap Lake.
In Thailand where the drought this year is said to be one of the worst in more than a decade, more than 30 provinces especially in the north and northeast regions are at risk. Already, the farmers have had to reduce if not stop altogether their second crop production as there is not sufficient irrigation.
As livelihood and food production dip during the dry season, households are also rendered more vulnerable. In Myanmar’s Dry Zone where the lack of rain severely impairs food production, food insecurity is also high as families are unable to meet household food needs. The water shortage has also affected the hygiene of families and communities. Residents are forced to get their water supply from unsanitary man-made ponds.
Lasting, integrated solutions
While it is true that the dry season is a natural phenomenon in these countries, climate change, however, has made these long dry spells more severe, bringing with it more intense cases of drought and water scarcity.
Measures are already being undertaken. Research efforts continue to test and experiment with drought-tolerant rice varieties that can be planted in the countryside farms of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Drought response efforts are also underway. In Cambodia, for example, organizations provide food-for-work infrastructure programs to repair ponds and wells. In Thailand, the government is providing alternative employment to farmers whose incomes had been lessened because of the reduction in second-crop production.
But these are not enough. A report from the International Environment and Disaster Management and Oxfam GB on the drought situation in Cambodia cites the need for more long-term programs as a response to drought, including a reliable drought-forecasting mechanism along with more consistent drought responses. Communities’ capacities will have to also be mapped and strengthened to arrive at more effective income generation activities for households. A similar call for long-term drought solutions was also echoed in an editorial in the Bangkok Post, citing the need for more reliable water supply and irrigation systems.
Indeed, with climate change exacerbating the effects of the dry season, there is a need for governments to step up their game. Perhaps a place to start is Mekong River Commission’s Drought Management Project. As the earth gets hotter and the demand for food and water rises, countries especially in the Mekong Region need to come together to review and devise a more effective water management plan and institute long-term drought strategies that serve as more than band-aid solutions.
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