Dry weather in southern Laos has forced thousands of Lao people to seek work in neighboring countries this year, after months of rice shortages and lack of water for agriculture, local media reports said on Monday.

Over 3,400 people from the southern Lao province of Champassak are reported to be working in neighboring countries, only 600 of them finding legal employment in Thailand, the state-run Vientiane Times quoted Xeunmany Keoviengsamai, Deputy Head of the Mounlapamok District office in Champassak province, as saying.

Xeunmany explained that most of the migrants had no choice but to work overseas during the rice shortage, as they can't produce sufficient other crops to support their families.

Xeunmany, also a member of Champassak Disaster Management Committee, said "over 2,400 families in 36 villages will suffer rice shortages this year. Some have enough for only nine months while others will run out after just six or even three (months)."

He added that people in the affected areas of the province would need to buy over 1.3 million tonnes of rice to meet their own needs during the shortage.

People living along the Mekong River use generators and pipelines to pump enough water to irrigate their rice fields and vegetable gardens, but the low river level at this time of year causes problems for them too.

"This year will be the worst for Mounlapamok district because the dry season began earlier compared to previous years. Last year the Mekong didn't flood lowland areas surrounding some villages as it has done in the past," Xeunmany said.

He said a large area of the district had been affected by crop failures according to data from the authorities, and officials couldn't stop people leaving to work in other provinces and neighboring countries because they had to raise money to buy rice.

Almost 34,000 people live in Mounlapamok district's 36 villages. It is one of 10 districts in Champassak province and borders Xiengtang province in Cambodia and Ubon Ratchathani province in Thailand.