Death toll from Sunday's tsunamis in Thailand rose to 1,975 by Thursday morning as fresh water shortage threatens people's lives in tidal wave-hit areas.

According to latest figures released by the Interior Minister on Thursday, confirmed death toll in Sunday's tsunamis amounted to1,975, with 9,808 injuries and 6,043 reported missing.

After visited many of the affected areas by helicopter, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra predicted on the same day that the final death count may reach 3,000 as new corpses continued to be discovered.

Thaksin also called for the acceleration of the rescue and disposal efforts as many of the corpse were still piled up on beaches around the Andaman coast,

Through out the Indian Ocean region, the toll soared to 81,956 on Thursday with the predicted figured exceeding 100,000.

In Thailand, fresh water shortages caused by sea water contamination of underground and surface sources begin to threatenlives of the disaster-stricken areas.

"Salty water, mud and sand are covering every square inch of these areas. Recovering the freshwater sources, vegetation, soil and the fragile terrestrial ecosystem from the salty mud covering it all is a vital task," Petipong Pungbun, permanent secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Ministry was quoted by Bangkok Post newspaper as saying Thursday.

He added volunteers divers would be sent to retrieve debris covering coral reefs in marine national parks devastated by the tidal waves. Altogether 12 marine national parks has been severelydamaged in the kingdom.

Groundwater Department chief Sanon Chantanintorn said new pondswould be established in nearby unaffected areas to supply locals with fresh water.

New freshwater resources have to find at an early date because day season will reach its peak next month, he said.

The massive amount of untreated municipal waste water being discharged from the Phuket community of Patong into the Andaman Sea is another concern of the authority.

As pump and regulator controls were destroyed in the disaster, the town's water treatment plant has been failed to treat its normal 10,000 cubic meters of wastewater.

An initial assessment by the groundwater department found that sediment carried ashore by the giant waves and stirred up at sea, could have a devastating impacts on coral reefs and other marine life.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry warned of the possibilityof disease in the tsunami-ravaged provinces. Six such provinces have been declared as disease-control area.

Spokesman Nittaya Mahopol said people in the area were at risk of contracting diseases of the digestive system, dysentery, cholera and typhoid if they consumed unclean food and water.

The ministry also issued warnings about the threat of conjunctivitis and mosquitoes.

More than 13,000 rescuers and volunteers from across the country and abroad have headed south to help victims of the tsunami in the country's biggest rescue and relief operation ever.