DUBAI : An integrated flood prevention system could be completed in about three-and-a-half years, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said.
Tha's around the same time as the Yingluck Shinawatra government's tenure finishes.
The new system would be able to prevent floods, and also improve the irrigation system which will enable farmers to boost their production efficiency, Thaksin said.
The flood prevention system will comprise two phases. The first phase will help prevent floods caused by rainwater from the North, while the second one will protect Bangkok from any future flooding as a result of seawater.
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"Bangkok is sinking while the seawater level is rising. So, we must work with urgency to implement a land reclamation project to build a natural dam to protect Bangkok," Thaksin said.
Before a land reclamation project is completed, a dyke surrounding Bangkok would have to be built.
Although the land reclamation project requires a big investment, Thaksin said the fund is not a big worry.
"Some countries, including China and Japan, are ready to provide supplier credits to us and payment of the loans would be in the form of farm products and the project itself will earn the country enough returns," he said.
The reclaimed land would be equivalent to around 300,000 rai.
Half of it would be reserved as a government office centre and the rest would be leased for 99 years.
"Let's say the leasing price of the reclaimed land is about 10 million baht a rai. That means the country will earn about 1.5 trillion baht, which will be enough to cover the investment and also to support investment of other infrastructure projects such as high-speed trains," he said.
Floodways must be developed to prevent floods from the North, Thaksin said.
The government has a plan to develop residential projects of about 100,000 units and people now living along the banks of canals in Bangkok and the city's perimeter would be evacuated to these units so the government would be able to dredge them for the floodways.
For other provinces, some regions would be developed as flood catchment areas. However, the government would pay compensation to the land owners, Thaksin said.
"On the other hand, these areas will have enough water for farming and that will improve their productivity," he added. Thaksin said Thailand also needs to improve its logistics system to include a high-speed train project, a regular speed train project and a complete mass transit train system in Bangkok.
"The high-speed train project is to enhance the country's tourism," he said.
"Chiang Mai is an ideal hub for tourism as it is near China's Kunming, so the first high-speed train project will link Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It will attract Chinese tourists to Chiang Mai and then to Bangkok."
The regular speed train project will link Nong Khai and Bangkok to Pak Nara (in Narathiwat) for travel from Indochina.
"We are discussing the structure of the investment [with China]. It might be a joint venture," Thaksin said.