Eighty-four projects are earmarked to give Klong Saen Saeb an all-around upgrade, said Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.
Speaking at a meeting of a government sub-panel to rehabilitate the canal, Gen Prawit said the projects have been finalised to manage, develop and improve Klong Saen Saeb, believed to be the first canal to be dug in the reign of King Rama III.
The projects call for collaboration from eight state agencies: the Department of Pollution Control, the Marine Department, the Royal Irrigation Department, the Department of Industrial Works, the Wastewater Management Authority, the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, the City Hall and the Chachoengsao provincial office.
Blueprints of the projects will be presented at a meeting of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday.
Gen Prawit said on Thursday Klong Saen Saeb requires a systematic plan of recovery to restore its ecology and water quality. The canal also requires a sustainable solution to its water pollution and drainage problems.
One of the core projects aims to tackle the waste which is polluting the canal. Gen Prawit said the programme is budget-intensive, so he has ordered City Hall to study the possibility of implementing a co-investment scheme with the private sector.
Other large projects will also need to be reviewed by a sub-committee before they are granted a budget.
ONWR secretary-general Somkiat Prajamwong said the 84 projects involve immediate, medium-term and long-term projects that extend through to 2028.
Ten projects will serve to secure water transport safety and expand the boat shuttle route by 10 kilometres. Eight more piers are to be built while the 10 existing piers will undergo maintenance. Twelve electric-powered boats are said to be procured and placed into the shuttle service.
Fourteen projects, jointly run by City Hall and the Chachoengsao provincial office, include re-landscaping the canal banks with four bridges to be built over the adjacent Klong Bang Kanak to ease the flow of traffic.
Another 44 projects will be launched to streamline the system of treating wastewater before it empties into the canal. There will be strict monitoring of wastewater discharges by industries on the banks of the canal.
Other sources of water pollution will also be tracked.
Also, one project will get underway to prevent encroachment and damage to natural resources in Klong Saen Saeb which connects the Chao Phraya and the Bang Prakong rivers.
Another 15 projects will encourage better water management in the canal.