Two decades needed to fix water woes

Two decades needed to fix water woes

PM extends master management plan

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered officials to double the time frame for the country's water management master plan to 20 years, according to one of his deputies, Gen Chatchai Sarikulya.

The order was given as the premier chaired a meeting of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) at Government House on Friday, Gen Chatchai said.

Under the newly extended plan, substantial projects will be prioritised according to necessity, said Gen Chatchai, who oversees the National Water Resources Management Office (NWRMO). The plan starts this year.

It was extended so that projects valued at 1 billion baht or more, such as the construction of large reservoirs, can have enough time to prepare.

Studies are now being carried out to draw up plans to reduce the impact on local communities of these so-called megaprojects. Some 44 such projects were raised in the meeting, officials said.

The deputy premier said it was also decided that the number of NWRB executives should be trimmed from 33 to 24, with four subcommittees to be set up.

They will be responsible for following up on water issues, developing water resources, working out details of the master plan, and assessing its progress.

Gen Chatchai said 50 billion to 60 billion baht will be set aside every year to implement the plan.

By the end of this year, a budget will be set aside to build various small water resources.

Money was also pledged for efforts to improve the water retention and discharge capacities of water-storage facilities, as well as for the maintenance of such infrastructure.

Regarding plans to prevent and mitigate flooding this year, the deputy premier said officials must stay alert despite projections the amount of rain will lessen. He said dams and reservoirs will help and irrigation zones should not be afflicted by drought.

When storms hit the country, or in the case of excessive rainfall, efforts will be made to discharge water from water-retention facilities, the general added.

He said the NWRMO will assess the situation each month in order to control the release of water from dams and reservoirs. Enough water must be retained to combat drought, he noted.

Provincial committees will be responsible for water management in their respective regions but the NWRMO will oversee their work and advise governors.

In Bangkok, where many areas are prone to repeated flooding, the governor will be invited by the NWRMO to discuss water drainage and inter-agency cooperation.

Meanwhile, construction work is progressing slowly on new water resources for farming and industry zones and the Eastern Economic Corridor, said NWRMO secretary-general Somkiat Prajamwong.

Efforts must be made to expedite the work, he added.

Based on the flood-prevention plan, the Marine Department was told to dredge all major rivers, he said.

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