Mr. Luan Taejanang (58) stands at his rice fields that are not able to reach its maturity stage due to intense heat in Hang Dong district, Chiang Mai province. He loses 100% of his harvest due to drought brought by El Niño phenomenon.

Farmers in Chiang Mai are getting desperate for water to irrigate their parched fields as the nation, a leading producer of the staple food, suffers its worst drought in more than a decade.