Songkran revelers in Bangkok will have their water-throwing sessions cut short this year thanks to an increasingly serious drought in the Land of Smiles.
According to Asian Correspondent, Bangkok deputy governor Amorn Kijchawengkul recently announced the city's plan to restrict its annual Thai New Year festivities from four days to three. In 2016, Bangkok residents will be able to douse one another with buckets of water from April 12 to 14 but are encouraged to "spend some dry quality time with their family on April 15 instead", per Kijchawengkul's request.
Bangkok officials also plan to shut down the water wars by 9pm each night in an effort to conserve water. Popular shopping complex CentralWorld has also canceled its water-filling stations in an effort to cooperate with the local government.
During Songkran, water usage in Bangkok triples, according to Coconuts Bangkok. By conserving water over the holiday, city officials expect to save 5 billion liters of much-needed H2O for the country's farming provinces. The move comes ahead of a water shortage which is expected to become a crisis after Songkran.
[Photo via Holidays Genius]
