Bangkok: Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has urged people to turn off taps and shower less to cope with a drought afflicting northern and central Thailand.

Last week, Bangkok's water authority said the capital's tap water was becoming saline as seawater pushed up the depleted Chao Phraya river, a source of much of central Thailand's water.

The Thai PM has told citizens to shorten their showers or shower less. Credit:RM/File

The cabinet agreed on Tuesday to spend 3 billion baht ($144 million) on boreholes and pipes to extract ground water to relieve a drought that is expected to worsen in the next few months, a government spokeswoman told reporters.

Thailand's dry season started in November and usually lasts through April, although this year authorities say it could go on through June. A drought has been declared in 14 provinces in the central, northern and northeastern farming regions.