The Water and Flood Management Commission is to seek cabinet approval for 100 million baht to organise country-wide exhibitions and public hearings on the controversial 350-billion-baht water management scheme, Deputy Prime Minister and WFMC chair Plodprasop Suraswadi said on Wednesday.
Mr Plodprasop was speaking at the “Water for Life” exhibition held to disseminate information on all nine parts of the state flood and water management scheme at Bangkok's Siam Discovery Centre.
The exhibition, which runs until Sept 12, is part of the WFMC’s campaign to stage hearings in the 39 provinces that will be affected by the planned water management projects.
The Central Administrative Court on June 27 ordered the scheme be delayed until public hearings and health and environmental impact assessments for the projects had been completed.
Exhibitions on the water management scheme would allow the public to learn about the plans before they share their thoughts on the nine elements of the project at public forums, Mr Plodprasop said.
The first public forum will take place in Chiang Mai on Oct 7 and go on to cover other affected provinces until January next year, with more than 100,000 people expected to take part in the process, Mr Plodprasop said.
The WFMC would work with Chulalongkorn University, Khon Kaen University, Rajabhat University Network and contractors involved in the project to gather the views of a wide range of people, he added.
Mr Plodprasop said the hearings would cost around 100 million baht and he would table the budget request for consideration at the cabinet meeting next Tuesday.
A woman reads information on a display board at the "Water for Life" exhibition held at Siam Discovery Centre to educate people about the government's 350-billion-baht water management scheme. The exhibition kicked off on Wednesday and will last until next Thursday. THANARAK KHOONTON
