A water resource development and management investment scheme for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will be submitted to the national water committee for consideration later this month.
Somkiat Prajamwong, chief of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), said the plan had received the nod from a megaproject steering committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday, and will be forwarded to the cabinet for approval.
According to Mr Somkiat, EEC-designated areas face the risk of water shortage, so the 20-year plan prepared by ONWR and other relevant action plans must be implemented to mitigate risks. It is estimated water demand in the EEC in 2037 will reach 3.09 billion cubic metres, rising 670 million cubic metres from 2017, he noted.
The EEC is the government's flagship investment scheme, spanning Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao provinces and targeting 12 industries.
Mr Somkiat added that the water plan is divided into two phases with the first phase running from 2020-2027 which will include the upgrade of six existing reservoirs and the construction of 10 new ones. This phase is expected to boost the amount of water available by 706 million cubic metres.
In the second phase, which will run from 2028 to 2037, the water-resource development plan hopes to increase the total amount of water by 166 million cubic metres, he said, adding that the blueprint calls for investment of more than 80 billion baht.
The water management plan also calls for a study into the production of fresh water from sea water and hiring the private sector to build and develop a water reserve system.
The ONWR chief also said that the megaproject steering committee has approved a framework on the development of Nong Han freshwater lake in Sakon Nakhon between 2020-2027. The proposal is slated to be submitted to the national water committee for consideration on Dec 20.
The Nong Han water project is made up of 69 projects worth 7.4 billion baht, 36 of which have been approved for the first phase of 2021-2022 worth 1.14 billion.
According to Mr Somkiat, the committee has also acknowledged that up to 57 key projects can be implemented in 2022 with 32 projects worth about 396 billion baht in the pipeline.
In total, 21 projects valued at 107.4 billion baht including Bung Boraphet rehabilitation scheme in Nakhon Sawan and Bung Ratchanok rehabilitation in Phitsanulok have been approved by the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said it has declared 39 districts of Chachoengsao, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Phanom, Kanchanaburi, Maha Sarakham, Bung Kan, Nong Khai as drought-hit areas.