Laws on water management -- including those which form the basis for the establishment of 22 river basin committees across the country -- will take effect in June, said the secretary-general of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), Somkiat Prajamwong.
"River basin committees will play an important role in managing our water resources, as they will be the ones screening water management projects proposed by local communities," Mr Somkiat told a press briefing yesterday.
"This will make Thailand's water management schemes better reflect the actual needs of the people."
As of this month, the ONWR has already finished drafting 23 laws that will be included in the Water Resources Act (2018). The drafts, which have been endorsed by the cabinet, have been sent to the Office of the Council of the State to be scrutinised further.
Mr Somkiat said he expects these laws to take effect next month. Once the laws come into force, the ONWR will begin setting up committees covering 22 river basins in Thailand.
The committees will be headed by the provincial governor and its members will consist of provincial and local administration officials, as well as water resource experts and consumer representatives, according to Mr Somkiat.
These river basin committees will oversee water management schemes -- such as flood diversion projects -- and it will also have a say in projects to be built on river basins. These committees will also be tasked with coordinating with each other on projects which span multiple river basins.
The government had set up river basin committees in the past, but these committees were not productive because they lacked a legal basis to operate and sufficient support from the state.