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08 APRIL 2010 - NAKHON PHANOM, THAILAND: KUMHOON, a rice farmer in Nakhon Phanom province of Thailand, collects rice straw from his paddies. He will use the straw to feed livestock and as a bed for mushrooms he plans to plant. He said he doesn't know why the Mekong River is so low and why the region is gripped by drought. He said he heard on TV and in newspapers that "global warming" may be to blame, but that he doesn't understand what global warming is. He said he tried to grow potatoes because they use less water but he couldn't sell them in the local markets. The region is in the midst of a record setting drought and the Mekong River is at its lowest point in nearly 50 years, setting up an environmental disaster the region has never seen before. Many of the people who live along the river farm and fish. They claim their crops yields are greatly reduced and that many days they return from fishing with empty nets. The river is so shallow now that fisherman who used to go out in boats now work from the banks and sandbars on foot or wade into the river. In addition to low river levels the Isan region of Thailand is also in the midst of a record drought and heat wave. Farmers have been encouraged to switch from rice to less water intensive crops and to expect lower yields. Farmers here rely more on rain fall than irrigation to water their crops. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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Jack Kurtz
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Draught in the Isan region of Thailand, Isan Drought
08 APRIL 2010 - NAKHON PHANOM, THAILAND: KUMHOON, a rice farmer in Nakhon Phanom province of Thailand, collects rice straw from his paddies. He will use the straw to feed livestock and as a bed for mushrooms he plans to plant. He said he doesn't know why the Mekong River is so low and why the region is gripped by drought. He said he heard on TV and in newspapers that "global warming" may be to blame, but that he doesn't understand what global warming is. He said he tried to grow potatoes because they use less water but he couldn't sell them in the local markets. The region is in the midst of a record setting drought and the Mekong River is at its lowest point in nearly 50 years, setting up an environmental disaster the region has never seen before. Many of the people who live along the river farm and fish. They claim their crops yields are greatly reduced and that many days they return from fishing with empty nets. The river is so shallow now that fisherman who used to go out in boats now work from the banks and sandbars on foot or wade into the river. In addition to low river levels the Isan region of Thailand is also in the midst of a record drought and heat wave. Farmers have been encouraged to switch from rice to less water intensive crops and to expect lower yields. Farmers here rely more on rain fall than irrigation to water their crops. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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