A Water Office to Be Formed to Tackle Flooding in the Long Run

(10/10/2011)

The Government plans to establish a water office to serve as a center to deal with flooding in Thailand on a long-term basis. The plan was discussed at the meeting of the Committee on Flood, Landslide, and Drought Management, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit on 7 October 2011 at Government House. Mr. Yongyoot said that the water office would work out preventive measures to seriously tackle flooding in 25 river basins across the country. The measures also included the development of the “Kam Ling – Monkey’s Cheek” program and the digging of various waterways more deeply to accommodate rainwater during the rainy season. As for the Kam Ling program, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted this water retention program to regulate the runoffs from the Chao Phraya and the Tha Chin rivers, with reservoirs constructed to block off flood water. The water will be drained into the sea in accordance with the tides, whenever it is possible. The retention area will store water when it is in plentiful supply, and the water can be used when there is drought. Floods have hit many provinces in Thailand since July this year. The Government has set up the Flood Relief Operation Center to enable all relevant agencies to work in an integrated manner to urgently handle the flood situation. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that the center is divided into two sections. The first section, chaired by the Minister of Science and Technology, Plodprasop Suraswadi, focuses on tackling immediate problems in flood-hit areas. For instance, it will evacuate the affected people to a safe area and provide them with food and shelter. The second part, chaired by the Minister of Transport, Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat, will provide support for the first section, ranging from giving flood warnings to proposing guidelines for dealing with the situation. It has set up a call center to receive complaints about floods, with officials providing information to the people and making decisions after receiving the complaints. Prime Minister Yingluck called on officials at the center to work at the best of their ability in order to take good care of the affected people. She said that the Government had prepared military camps to accommodate flood victims, but many affected people refused to move out of their houses because they were concerned about their property. However, the Government has reached out to provide them with food and to facilitate their travel. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala said that the Government had prepared village revolving funds to be transferred to various villages for them to use after the floods subside. Initially, each of around 70,000 villages will receive 200,000-300,000 baht. He said that during the next fiscal year, the Government would allocate more funds to invest in projects to cope with flooding. Among the projects are the construction of embankments and the expansion of dams.