Bangkok: Thailand should brace for serious water shortages when the hot season begins in March after a year with unusually little rainfall, one of the country's top water management officials said.

Retention of water by dams in upstream areas of the Mekong River is also seen as contributing to record-low water levels in the river, affecting the region's ecology.

Somkiat Prajumwong, director-general of Thailand's Office of National Water Resources, said the river would experience record-low levels, after already recording new records this past year.

A man guides a traditional boat in shallow water on the Mekong River, on the Thai-Lao border. Credit:AP

His agency is warning people along the Mekong to beware of river bank slides and prepare for serious water shortages in March and April, when temperatures in Thailand usually peak.