Five water management plans to make water safer and more affordable will be presented to the National Water Resources Committee (NWRC) for approval next Monday.
Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), said the NWRC's steering subcommittee for the national water management master plan has agreed in principle with the five plans and they will be submitted to the NWRC, which is chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The subcommittee is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.
The first plan involves improving the efficiency of the tap water system for villages and developing the quality of water supply for consumption at reasonable prices, he said, noting these initiatives would be carried out by the Department of Local Administration.
A total of 2,800 tambons are included in the plan.
The second plan involves the Provincial Waterworks Authority's 19 development projects for 2021, while the third aims to solve recurring flood problems in Pattaya, Mr Somkiat said.
He said the fourth plan, which is proposed by the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) and the ONWR, aims to make the most use of the Mekong River and its tributaries to reduce the risk of water shortages in agricultural areas and ensure that farmers can plant crops at least once a year.
The fifth plan, also proposed by the RID, involves a set of five measures to ease flooding in the lower Chao Phraya River Basin and improve the irrigation systems on the eastern and western banks of the Chao Phraya and Chai Nat and Pa Sak canals, Mr Somkiat said.
Efforts will also be made to boost the drainage efficiency of the Chao Phraya and the Tha Chin rivers, he added.
The final plan will also include projects to construct a new canal system to drain floodwater in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban and Bang Sai districts and a canal system to drain water from Chai Nat through the Pa Sak River into the Gulf of Thailand, Mr Somkiat said.
Under the plan, housing will also be arranged for low-income earners who have encroached upon areas near the canals, he said.