1.
GV & CU Dried up river bed (2 shots)
0.06

2.
MV Woman collecting water from mud-pool
0.13

3.
STV TILT TO GV line of water cans on roadside
0.24

4.
SV Man deposits cans in line
0.29

5.
GV Villagers waiting for tanker to arrive
0.32

6.
GV Tanker drives past line of cans in village
0.37

7.
CU Woman with parched lips
0.38

8.
LV & CU Tanker driver filling up cans (2 shots)
0.48

9.
GV & CU Water cans being filled up at pumping station(2 shots)
0.54

10.
SV Villagers attempt to take water away on handcart
1.04

11.
SV & CU Villagers filling cans from new handpump (2 shots)
1.17

12.
SV Woman bringing water to cow
1.23



Initials OS/2218 OS/2237



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The densely populated Nakhon Sawan Province in Central Thailand is suffering from servers drought during the present dry session.

Reservoirs have dried up for the first time in many years, and the 7-thousand villagers in the worst-hit areas of Tha Tako Lo have had to carry water on their shoulders for more than a mile (2 km.) to their homes.

During recent weeks the government have made determined efforts to alleviate the crisis. Water-tankers bring 3-thousand gallons (11356 ltrs.) of water at a time to the districts, and now villagers have a limited supply of free water instead of having to pay trader five baht (10 New Pence) a can as they did previously.

The government has also arranged self-help programmes and organised shows to help pay for new hand-pumps. however many of these pumps still fail to produce Water.

The Nakhon Sawan Province is normally one of Thailand's major sources of rice. It is situated in the usually fertile valley occupied by the rivers Mae Nam Yom and Mas Nam Ping, which flow down to Bangkok 155 miles (250 km.) to the south.

SYNOPSIS: In central Thailand, rives and reservoirs have dried up in the drought-stricken Nakhon Sawan Province, one hundred and fifty miles to the north of Bangkok.

One of the worst-hit areas in the densely-populated Province has been the village of Tha Tako. The people here have had to carry water to their homes from long distances, and have even had to buy water form traders.

During recent weeks the government has made determined efforts to ease the shortage, and now a tanker arrives daily to distribute water. But for the average family this is often not enough.

The village also has a new electric pump drawing water form deep below the surface. But this together with the government tankers can provide only eight gallons for each family and their cattle and pigs.

Handpumps like this one in the nearby village of Kau Lo have also been recently installed by the government with the help of funds release by local shows. But still the cattle have to drink dirty leftover water -- whether they like it or not.