About 10,000 projects will be implemented to combat floods and droughts as part of the government's 12-year water management plan for 2015-2026, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting yesterday, Gen Prayut said the government expects to kick off the plan next year. Funding for the 100 billion baht plan will come mainly from the budget.
Gen Prayut said the cabinet has approved the first sum of 55.9 billion baht. Of that, 39.6 billion baht will come from loans and the rest from the budget. The prime minister did not specify the loan sources.
The cabinet also approved 4,227 projects under the plan overseen by 25 agencies from eight ministries. It is expected some projects will begin next year.
Speaking about ways to ensure transparency in the budget, Gen Prayut said scrutiny will be carried out by the government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a budget scrutiny committee and the private sector.
Big projects, which require more than 1 billion baht in investment, will be examined by the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) system imported from England, he said.
Meanwhile, the National Reform Council (NRC) has agreed to support listing the Andaman coast as a Unesco World Heritage site. A NRC meeting recently voted 196-2 in favour of the proposal, with seven abstentions.
Pramote Maiklad, chairman of the NRC's committee on natural resources and the environment, told the meeting the Andaman coast features outstanding examples of Thailand's environment including landforms, ecosystems, biodiversity as well as tourist destinations.
"The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has proposed listing the Andaman coast as a heritage site to Unesco, with the plan on the tentative list since 2004. It is a pity no one has really given it a push," Mr Pramote said.
He said the listing of a World Heritage site would help boost natural resources research and management in the area.
If Unesco approves the coast as a heritage site, the Thai government would take responsibility for maintaining the area under Unesco's guidance.