Drought has forced the closure of almost the 200 fish farms in central Thailand, according to a report.
The report, issued on Tuesday in Bangkok, said the closure, caused by the worst drought in over 20 years, decreased water levels and increased salinity in rivers throughout the country.
Withaya Preechaphan, a local fish farmer in Chainat province, said that the drought had caused his fish to die out and made his business unsustainable.
The report said that as a result of the drought, the government declared 26 out of 76 provinces in the country disaster zones, an increase from the previous week’s total of 23.
It added that on Tuesday, the government dispatched more than 450 water trucks to carry water to the hardest-hit areas.