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  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A Thai family stops for pictures in the ruins of a public building in Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought081.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BAN SONG, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: A worker pushes bottles of water down the line at a water bottling plant in Ban Song. The plant has been open for 11 years and is reporting that demand has increased above normal this year because more people are buying bottled water because salt water has intruded into the local water supply. Some people are buying the bottled water to wash and bathe with because of the salt water intrusion. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought027.jpg
  • 15 FEBRUARY 2016 - ARANYAPRATHET, SA KAEO, THAILAND: Cambodian porters in Aranyaprathet pull a load of bottled water to the Cambodian side of the border. Thais selling bottled water in the border town of Aranyaprathet, opposite Poipet, Cambodia, have reported a surge in sales recently. Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that because of the 2016 drought, which is affecting Thailand and Cambodia, there have been spot shortages of drinking water near the Thai-Cambodian and that "water shortages in Cambodia had prompted people to hoard drinking water from Thailand."     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AranyaphratetBorderWaterCarts012.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - KHLONG PHAI, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Maintenance workers repair the spillway  at Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The dam is only 30 percent of its capacity and farmers downstream have been told they can't draw irrigation water from the dam.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought049.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A man rides his bicycle down the main road in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought023.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: The foreman of the repair crew working the Tara walks to a small shop in a village near the beached boat. The Tara is a river freighter and passenger boat assembled in Vietnam, then a French colony, in 1927. Most recently it's used to take tourists on dinner cruises on the Tonle Sap Lake. Because of the drought in Cambodia, the Tara is beached and unable to navigate the nearly empty canals that lead to the Tonle Sap Lake. The boat's owners are repairing and refurbishing it while it's beached and hope that the coming rainy season will flood the canal enough to let the Tara get back to the lake.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought011.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: A couple prays in the ruins of an old temple in a village in the Mae Chang Reservoir. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought015.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A farmer walks through the ruins of a village in the Mae Chang Reservoir. This is first time in more than 30 years that the village has been visible. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought013.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane009.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - KHLONG PHAI, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: A derelict raft on the shore at Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The dam is only 30 percent of its capacity and farmers downstream have been told they can't draw irrigation water from the dam.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought053.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A man doing subsistence fishing throws a fishing net into the Siem Reap River in Siem Reap, Cambodia.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought018.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A man and boy get kerosene from a nearly empty drum in their village, where the Tara is beached. The kerosene drums will be put under the houses in the village and used as to float the houses if the area floods in the coming rainy season. The Tara is a river freighter and passenger boat assembled in Vietnam, then a French colony, in 1927. Most recently it's used to take tourists on dinner cruises on the Tonle Sap Lake. Because of the drought in Cambodia, the Tara is beached and unable to navigate the nearly empty canals that lead to the Tonle Sap Lake. The boat's owners are repairing and refurbishing it while it's beached and hope that the coming rainy season will flood the canal enough to let the Tara get back to the lake.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought009.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man cooks fish he trapped in Mae Chang Reservoir in what used to be Sobjant village. The flats he's cooking should be under two meters of water at this time of year. He trapped the fish in a puddle about 500 meters from his cooking fire. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought074.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A vendor waits for Thai tourists in his small shelter near Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought061.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BAN SONG, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: Workers on a mechanical rice harvester bring in the last of the 2015 rice crop in Prachin Buri province. Normally the farmers would plant a second crop of rice but they can't this year because their won't be enough water to irrigate the fields. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought015.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - PRACHIN BURI, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: A worker at Abhaibhubet Hospital in Prachin Buri, stands between water tanks being refilled at the hospital. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought007.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: LERN, who has been farming all his life,  walks through his fields while he plants rice near Seam Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Lern said this is driest he has ever seen his fields. He said he is planting because he has no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season he will lose his crops.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought052.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A family of Thai Buddhists pray in the ruined temple of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought065.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: A couple prays in the ruins of an old temple in a village in the Mae Chang Reservoir. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought017.jpg
  • 15 FEBRUARY 2016 - ARANYAPRATHET, SA KAEO, THAILAND: A motorcycle owner in Aranyaprathet, Thailand, pulls a load of bottled water to the Cambodian side of the border. Thais selling bottled water in the border town of Aranyaprathet, opposite Poipet, Cambodia, have reported a surge in sales recently. Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that because of the 2016 drought, which is affecting Thailand and Cambodia, there have been spot shortages of drinking water near the Thai-Cambodian and that "water shortages in Cambodia had prompted people to hoard drinking water from Thailand."     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AranyaphratetBorderWaterCarts024.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane017.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: A farmer spreads irrigation water in a field on a farm in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought017.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: An empty water retention pond in Buri Ram province. At this time of year, the pond should be full. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought002.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A child watches volunteers fill his family's water jugs a water distribution point in Sot Nikum, a village northeast of Siem Reap. Wells in the village have been dry for more than three months because of the drought that is gripping most of Southeast Asia. People in the community rely on water they have to buy from water sellers or water brought in by NGOs. They were waiting for water brought in by truck from Siem Reap by Water on Wheels, a NGO in Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. There is no water to irrigate the farm fields and many of the wells in the area have run dry.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought103.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Villagers watch as their water jugs are filled at a water distribution point in Sot Nikum, a village northeast of Siem Reap. Wells in the village have been dry for more than three months because of the drought that is gripping most of Southeast Asia. People in the community rely on water they have to buy from water sellers or water brought in by NGOs. They were waiting for water brought in by truck from Siem Reap by Water on Wheels, a NGO in Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. There is no water to irrigate the farm fields and many of the wells in the area have run dry.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought101.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: Boys drive their tractors through Sot Nikum, a village northeast of Siem Reap. Wells in the village have been dry for more than three months because of the drought that is gripping most of Southeast Asia. People in the community rely on water they have to buy from water sellers or water brought in by NGOs. They were waiting for water brought in by truck from Siem Reap by Water on Wheels, a NGO in Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. There is no water to irrigate the farm fields and many of the wells in the area have run dry.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought091.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  NGOR, 33 years old, drives his tractor with a 3,000 litre water tank on it while he sells water from his well in the villages around his home east of Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Farmers in the area say this is driest they have ever seen their fields. They said they are planting because they have no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season they will lose their crops. Many of the wells in the area have run dry and people are being forced to buy water to meet their domestic needs.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought064.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  NGOR, 33 years old, drives his tractor with a 3,000 litre water tank on it while he sells water from his well in the villages around his home east of Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Farmers in the area say this is driest they have ever seen their fields. They said they are planting because they have no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season they will lose their crops. Many of the wells in the area have run dry and people are being forced to buy water to meet their domestic needs.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought062.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Farmers use oxen to till their land and prepare their fields for planting rice near Seam Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Farmers in the area say this is driest they have ever seen their fields. They said they are planting because they have no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season they will lose their crops.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought041.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Villagers northeast of Siem Reap who received emergency rice rations. Farmers in the village have not been able to buy rice because they don't have enough money. Many of the farmers in this part of Cambodia saw their income drop when their crop yields were reduced by the two year drought in Southeast Asia. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought040.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A tour boat beached in Sangkat Tuek Vil village on the West Baray near Siem Reap. The West Baray is an enormous reservoir by the Khmer empire in the 11th century. It is 8,000 metres long and 2,100 metres wide. It was built by hand and used to provide agricultural and domestic water to the empire based in the Angkor Wat complex. The Baray is still in use as a reservoir for farms in the area. It is empty for the first time in the living memory of the people who live around it. While the water level fluctuates enormously from the rainy season the dry season, it's virtually unheard for the Baray to be empty and it's been empty for at least a month. The boats that take tourists across the reservoir are beached and many of the small restaurants are closed until it floods again. Recent small rains have seen the water level rise a few inches but not enough to accommodate the boats.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought021.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: Men repair a small speed boat engine along the canal while the Tara sits beached behind them. The Tara is a river freighter and passenger boat assembled in Vietnam, then a French colony, in 1927. Most recently it's used to take tourists on dinner cruises on the Tonle Sap Lake. Because of the drought in Cambodia, the Tara is beached and unable to navigate the nearly empty canals that lead to the Tonle Sap Lake. The boat's owners are repairing and refurbishing it while it's beached and hope that the coming rainy season will flood the canal enough to let the Tara get back to the lake.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought008.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A 79 year old farmer and his grandson walk through the water tank the farmer built for his water buffalo in Sobjant village. He said this is the first time the tank has been empty, and that in 2015, also a year of drought, he still had 1.5 meters of water in his tank at this time of year. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought085.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A family of Thai Buddhists pray in the ruined temple of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought067.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man fishes in the bottom of the Mae Wang (Wang River) in Wang Nuea. The river should be waist deep at this time of year but is barely ankle deep. The man said he had never seen the river so low. It is so low that water cannot flow past the irrigation gate in the background. The Mae Wang flows into the Chao Phraya River and on to Bangkok and provides domestic and irrigation water for much of northern Thailand. The rainy season is not expected to start for at least two more months.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought049.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man panning for gold shovels rocks and gravel into his pan in the Mae Wang. Villagers in the Wang Nuea district of Lampang province found gold in the Mae Wang (Wang River) in 2011 after excavation crews dug out sand for a construction project. A subsequent Thai government survey of the river showed "a fair amount of gold ore," but not enough gold to justify commercial mining. Now every year when the river level drops farmers from the district come to the river to pan for gold. Some have been able to add to their family income by 2,000 to 3,000 Baht (about $65 to $100 US) every month. The gold miners work the river bed starting in mid-February and finish up by mid-May depending on the weather. They stop panning when the river level rises from the rains. This year the Thai government is predicting a serious drought which may allow miners to work longer into the summer. The 2016 drought has lowered the water level so much that the river is dry in most places and people can only pan for gold in a very short stretch of the river.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought037.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A farmer walks through the ruins of a village in the Mae Chang Reservoir. This is first time in more than 30 years that the village has been visible. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought014.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BANG SOMBUN, NAKHON NAYOK, THAILAND: Workers on a mechanical rice harvester bring in the last of the 2015 rice crop in Nakhon Nayok province. Normally the farmers would plant a second crop of rice but they can't this year because their won't be enough water to irrigate the fields. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought034.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BAN SONG, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: A worker pushes bottles of water down the line at a water bottling plant in Ban Song. The plant has been open for 11 years and is reporting that demand has increased above normal this year because more people are buying bottled water because salt water has intruded into the local water supply. Some people are buying the bottled water to wash and bathe with because of the salt water intrusion. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought023.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: Workers harvest shrimp on a shrimp farm in Chachoengso province of Thailand. Thailand is one of the leading shrimp exporters in the world and aquaculture is an important component of the Thai export economy. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought011.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - THUNG KHOK, SUBPAN BURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm worker from eastern Thailand buy snacks from a roving vendor during their lunch break in a sugar cane field during the harvest in Suphan Buri province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane066.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane045.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: A migrant farm worker from eastern Thailand rests on the edge of a sugar cane field during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane038.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane034.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane031.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: An irrigation canal that waters sugar cane fields in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane006.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - NONG YA KHAO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Farmers harvest cassava in a field in Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand. Cassava, a drought resistant root vegetable, is one of the vegetables the Thai government is encouraging farmers to grow instead of rice and other more water dependent crops. Thailand is the world's leading exporter of dried cassava flakes.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought060.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  A woman carries her water home from a water distribution point in Sot Nikum, a village northeast of Siem Reap. Wells in the village have been dry for more than three months because of the drought that is gripping most of Southeast Asia. People in the community rely on water they have to buy from water sellers or water brought in by NGOs. They were waiting for water brought in by truck from Siem Reap by Water on Wheels, a NGO in Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. There is no water to irrigate the farm fields and many of the wells in the area have run dry.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought097.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: LERN, a Cambodian farmer who has been farming all his life, with a team of oxen he hired to till his land and prepare the fields for planting rice near Seam Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Farmers in the area say this is driest they have ever seen their fields. They said they are planting because they have no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season they will lose their crops.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought048.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  A vendor sells fresh produce in the Siem Reap market. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought031.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  A vendor sells fresh produce in the Siem Reap market. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought029.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  A vendor makes fried noodles in the Siem Reap market. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought026.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A woman does her laundry in a small village near the Tonle Sap lake south of Siem Reap. The area is experiencing a record breaking drought and relying on emergency wells for domestic water. The village normally floods in the rainy season, and their homes, built on stilts nearly 30 feet above the ground, accommodate the floods, but it's not clear  yet if the village will flood this year. Officials hope the rainy season starts in coming weeks.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought015.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: A piece of scrap metal found on the bottom of the Mae Chang Reservoir propped up on the walls of a ruined Buddhist temple in Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought099.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A family of Thai Buddhists pray in the ruined temple of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought069.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: Fishermen's canoes tied up near the original site of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought053.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man fishes in the bottom of the Mae Wang (Wang River) in Wang Nuea. The river should be waist deep at this time of year but is barely ankle deep. The man said he had never seen the river so low. It is so low that water cannot flow past the irrigation gate in the background. The Mae Wang flows into the Chao Phraya River and on to Bangkok and provides domestic and irrigation water for much of northern Thailand. The rainy season is not expected to start for at least two more months.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought047.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:   Workers make a temporary catchment called a  "Kaem Ling" (Monkey Cheek) in the Mae Wang (Wang River) in Wang Nuea. The river should be free flowing and waist deep at this time of year but is stagnant this year. The Kaem Ling project is an effort by the Thai government to keep some water in the riverbeds and canals. The Mae Wang flows into the Chao Phraya River and on to Bangkok and provides domestic and irrigation water for much of northern Thailand. The rainy season is not expected to start for at least two more months.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought032.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NONG LONG, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  The nearly empty Ping River in Lamphun province. The Ping River runs through northern Thailand and is the most important river in the area. People who live along the river said it has never been this low. Normally there is more than a meter of water across the river bottom at this part of the river at this time of year.  People are building small mud dams and catchments along the river bottom to try to keep some water and fish in it.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought030.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: A farmer looks at the old community well, which still has water in it, in the Mae Chang Reservoir. This is first time the well has been accessible in more than 30 years, although no one lives in the area to use the water from the well. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought021.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: The ruins of the village offices and health clinic in the bottom of the Mae Chang Reservoir. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought019.jpg
  • 31 MARCH 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  The bottom of the Mae Chang Reservoir. The Mae Chang Reservoir in Lampang province was created more than 30 years ago when the Chang River was dammed. Five villages along the river were relocated to hillsides above the river. For the first time since it was flooded, the reservoir is nearly empty and the ruins of the old villages are visible. Many people who remember the old villages are coming down to the ruins to visit them. This part of Thailand hasn't received significant rain in months and many irrigation canals and streams are running dry.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought002.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BAN SONG, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: Workers on a mechanical rice harvester bring in the last of the 2015 rice crop in Prachin Buri province. Normally the farmers would plant a second crop of rice but they can't this year because their won't be enough water to irrigate the fields. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought016.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - BAN SONG, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: A dead rice field burns in Prachin Buri province. Some rice fields in the area have dried up because there is not enough water to meet the need for irrigation and domestic use. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought013.jpg
  • 16 MARCH 2016 - PRACHIN BURI, PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND: A worker at Abhaibhubet Hospital in Prachin Buri,  refills water tanks from a water truck. The drought in Thailand is worsening and has spread to 14 provinces in the agricultural heartland of Thailand. Communities along the Bang Pakong River, which flows into the Gulf of Siam, have been especially hard hit since salt water has intruded into domestic water supplies as far upstream as Prachin Buri, about 100 miles from the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Siam. Water is being trucked to hospitals in the area because they can't use the salty water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PrachinBuriDrought004.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: An empty irrigation canal in Chachoengsao province of Thailand. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought009.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - THUNG KHOK, SUBPAN BURI, THAILAND: A migrant farm worker from eastern Thailand cuts sugar cane during the harvest in Suphan Buri province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane053.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane024.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane012.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane011.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - KHAM THALE SO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: A woman pulls a cart of rice hay for her water buffalo back to her home in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought040.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  Neighbors talk about the drought in Thailand. The woman in the tractor (left) goes out looking for water and then sells what she doesn't use. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought030.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A man fills his home water tanks with water he traveled more than a mile to find in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The man said his rice crop failed this year because of the drought and he didn't know how he was going to get through to the next planting season. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought025.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: The community reservoir in Si Liam, Buri Ram, is lower than it has ever been forcing residents to find an alternative source of domestic water. The reservoir, which is rain fed, is not expected to refill until the rainy season starts in May, leaving the community without water for four months. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought005.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Volunteers from Water on Wheels fill villagers water jugs at a water distribution point in Sot Nikum, a village northeast of Siem Reap. Wells in the village have been dry for more than three months because of the drought that is gripping most of Southeast Asia. They were waiting for water brought in by truck from Siem Reap by Water on Wheels, a NGO in Siem Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. There is no water to irrigate the farm fields and many of the wells in the area have run dry. People are being forced to buy water or get water from NGOs to meet their domestic needs.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought106.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A man fills his water bottles at a public well west of Siem Reap. He said the well near his home had run dry so he made daily trips to the public well to get water for his home. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Farmers in the area say this is driest they have ever seen their fields. They said they are planting because they have no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season they will lose their crops. Many of the wells in the area have run dry and people are being forced to buy water to meet their domestic needs.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought072.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  LERN, who has been farming all his life, rests on the side of his rice fields near Seam Reap. Cambodia is in the second year of  a record shattering drought, brought on by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern. Lern said this is driest he has ever seen his fields. He said he is planting because he has no choice but if they rainy season doesn't come, or if it's like last year's very short rainy season he will lose his crops.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought049.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A woman sells fresh fish in the Siem Reap market. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought033.jpg
  • 01 JUNE 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  A vendor sells fresh produce in the Siem Reap market. There are growing concerns that spot food shortages, especially of fish, the Cambodians main source of protein, could become worse if the coming rainy season doesn't bring relief from the drought that has gripped Cambodia for the last two years.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought032.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  The West Baray is an enormous reservoir by the Khmer empire in the 11th century. It is 8,000 metres long and 2,100 metres wide. It was built by hand and used to provide agricultural and domestic water to the empire based in the Angkor Wat complex. The Baray is still in use as a reservoir for farms in the area. It is empty for the first time in the living memory of the people who live around it. While the water level fluctuates enormously from the rainy season the dry season, it's virtually unheard for the Baray to be empty and it's been empty for at least a month. The boats that take tourists across the reservoir are beached and many of the small restaurants are closed until it floods again. Recent small rains have seen the water level rise a few inches but not enough to accommodate the boats.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought024.jpg
  • 31 MAY 2016 - SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: A man and boy get kerosene from a nearly empty drum in their village, where the Tara is beached. The kerosene drums will be put under the houses in the village and used as to float the houses if the area floods in the coming rainy season. The Tara is a river freighter and passenger boat assembled in Vietnam, then a French colony, in 1927. Most recently it's used to take tourists on dinner cruises on the Tonle Sap Lake. Because of the drought in Cambodia, the Tara is beached and unable to navigate the nearly empty canals that lead to the Tonle Sap Lake. The boat's owners are repairing and refurbishing it while it's beached and hope that the coming rainy season will flood the canal enough to let the Tara get back to the lake.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CambodiaDrought010.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man walks back to his motorscooter in what used to be Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought089.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND: A Thai woman uses her smart phone to photograph the ruins of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought079.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man cooks fish he trapped in Mae Chang Reservoir in what used to be Sobjant village. The flats he's cooking should be under two meters of water at this time of year. He trapped the fish in a puddle about 500 meters from his cooking fire. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought073.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man cooks fish he trapped in Mae Chang Reservoir in what used to be Sobjant village. The flats he's cooking should be under two meters of water at this time of year. He trapped the fish in a puddle about 500 meters from his cooking fire. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought072.jpg
  • 02 APRIL 2016 - NA SAK, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A family of Thai Buddhists pray in the ruined temple of Sobjant village. The village of Sobjant in Na Sak district in Lampang province was submerged when the Mae Chang Reservoir was created in the 1980s. The village was relocated to higher ground a few kilometers from its original site. The drought gripping Thailand drained the reservoir and the foundations of the Buddhist temple in the original village became visible early in 2016. Thai families come down to the original village to pray in the ruins of the temple and look at what's left of the village. This is the first time in more than 30 years that this area has not been under two meters of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought070.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man panning for gold shovels rocks and gravel into his pan in the Mae Wang. Villagers in the Wang Nuea district of Lampang province found gold in the Mae Wang (Wang River) in 2011 after excavation crews dug out sand for a construction project. A subsequent Thai government survey of the river showed "a fair amount of gold ore," but not enough gold to justify commercial mining. Now every year when the river level drops farmers from the district come to the river to pan for gold. Some have been able to add to their family income by 2,000 to 3,000 Baht (about $65 to $100 US) every month. The gold miners work the river bed starting in mid-February and finish up by mid-May depending on the weather. They stop panning when the river level rises from the rains. This year the Thai government is predicting a serious drought which may allow miners to work longer into the summer. The 2016 drought has lowered the water level so much that the river is dry in most places and people can only pan for gold in a very short stretch of the river.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought036.jpg
  • 01 APRIL 2016 - WANG NUEA, LAMPANG, THAILAND:  A man gets ready to pan for gold in the Mae Wang. Villagers in the Wang Nuea district of Lampang province found gold in the Mae Wang (Wang River) in 2011 after excavation crews dug out sand for a construction project. A subsequent Thai government survey of the river showed "a fair amount of gold ore," but not enough gold to justify commercial mining. Now every year when the river level drops farmers from the district come to the river to pan for gold. Some have been able to add to their family income by 2,000 to 3,000 Baht (about $65 to $100 US) every month. The gold miners work the river bed starting in mid-February and finish up by mid-May depending on the weather. They stop panning when the river level rises from the rains. This year the Thai government is predicting a serious drought which may allow miners to work longer into the summer. The 2016 drought has lowered the water level so much that the river is dry in most places and people can only pan for gold in a very short stretch of the river.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LampangDrought033.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: A worker walks through a pond looking for shrimp that escaped the nets on a shrimp farm in Chachoengso province of Thailand. Thailand is one of the leading shrimp exporters in the world and aquaculture is an important component of the Thai export economy. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought021.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: Workers pull a net of a pond on a shrimp farm in Chachoengso province of Thailand. Thailand is one of the leading shrimp exporters in the world and aquaculture is an important component of the Thai export economy. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought018.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: Workers harvest shrimp on a shrimp farm in Chachoengso province of Thailand. Thailand is one of the leading shrimp exporters in the world and aquaculture is an important component of the Thai export economy. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought015.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: The controls of a water gate at a nearly empty irrigation canal in Chachoengsao province of Thailand. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought008.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2016 - CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: An empty stock pond on a farm in Chachoengsao province, about two hours from Bangkok. Thai government officials have warned that there may not be enough water in the country's reservoirs to provide adequate water for farming, including fish and shrimp farms, industrial needs and domestic consumption. The government has told rice and fish farmers to reduce their use of water, and if necessary to reduce their crops. The current El Niño weather pattern is being blamed for the drought. The 2015 rainy season was well below normal and the 2016 rainy season could start two months late.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChacheangsaoDrought003.jpg
  • 15 FEBRUARY 2016 - ARANYAPRATHET, SA KAEO, THAILAND:  A motorcycle owner in Aranyaprathet, Thailand, pulls a load of bottled water to the Cambodian side of the border. Thais selling bottled water in the border town of Aranyaprathet, opposite Poipet, Cambodia, have reported a surge in sales recently. Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that because of the 2016 drought, which is affecting Thailand and Cambodia, there have been spot shortages of drinking water near the Thai-Cambodian and that "water shortages in Cambodia had prompted people to hoard drinking water from Thailand."    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AranyaphratetBorderWaterCarts017.jpg
  • 15 FEBRUARY 2016 - ARANYAPRATHET, SA KAEO, THAILAND:  A Cambodian porter in Aranyaprathet pulls a load of bottled water to the Cambodian side of the border. Thais selling bottled water in the border town of Aranyaprathet, opposite Poipet, Cambodia, have reported a surge in sales recently. Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that because of the 2016 drought, which is affecting Thailand and Cambodia, there have been spot shortages of drinking water near the Thai-Cambodian and that "water shortages in Cambodia had prompted people to hoard drinking water from Thailand."    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AranyaphratetBorderWaterCarts009.jpg
  • 15 FEBRUARY 2016 - ARANYAPRATHET, SA KAEO, THAILAND: A Cambodian porter in Aranyaprathet brings a load of textiles from the Cambodian side of the border into Thailand. Thais selling bottled water in the border town of Aranyaprathet, opposite Poipet, Cambodia, have reported a surge in sales recently. Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that because of the 2016 drought, which is affecting Thailand and Cambodia, there have been spot shortages of drinking water near the Thai-Cambodian and that "water shortages in Cambodia had prompted people to hoard drinking water from Thailand."     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AranyaphratetBorderWaterCarts004.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: A migrant farm worker from eastern Thailand rests on the edge of a sugar cane field during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane039.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane029.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant farm workers from eastern Thailand cut and stack sugar cane during the harvest in Kanachanaburi province, in western Thailand. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane019.jpg
  • 02 FEBRUARY 2016 - NONG LAN, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Migrant sugar cane workers eat their breakfasts on the edge of the fields they were hired to harvest. Thai sugar cane yields are expected to drop by about two percent for the 2015/2016 harvest because of below normal rainfall. The size of the crop is expected to increase slightly though because farmers planted more sugar cane acreage this year. Thailand is the second leading exporter of sugar in the world. Thai sugar growers are hoping a good crop would make up for shortages in global markets caused by lower harvests in Brazil and Australia, where sugar yields have been stunted by drought. Because of the drought in Thailand, sugar exports are expected to drop by up to 20 percent, contributing to a global sugar shortage. The drought is is also hurting the quality of Thai sugar, because sugarcane grown in drought is less sweet than normal so mills need to process more cane to make the same amount of sugar. Thai sugar farmers have lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their output this year because of the drought.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2016SugarCane004.jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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