Thailand's Songkran water festival will be scaled down in Bangkok this year as the country experiences its worst drought in decades, a report said Tuesday.
Songkran celebrations will be cut from four to three days in Bangkok and water splashing will only be allowed until 9pm, Channel Seven News reported.
"The celebrations in Bangkok will only take place on April 12-14," Bangkok Deputy Governor Amon Kitchawengkul told reporters.
"We are scaling back the celebrations to show respect because many provinces in Thailand are experiencing severe drought."
According to statistics provided by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation on Monday, 4355 villages throughout the country are being classified as disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.
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The department said that many of these villages are having to rely on military trucks to supply their daily water needs.
Songkran is a festival that marks the start of the Thai New Year. It is usually accompanied by city-wide water fights and merit-making at temples.
