Royal Irrigation Department, The Prime Minister monitored the water situation of the Royal Irrigation Department, ordered to make a plan to solve the problem urgently within 3 years, along with setting a long-term project to solve the disaster problem effectively, confident that the water will not flood like in 2011 for sure.
Prime Minister Settha Thavisin chaired a meeting to discuss water management at the Royal Irrigation Department, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Lt. Col. Thammanat Prompow, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and relevant agencies attending the meeting.
Upon arrival, the Prime Minister received a briefing on the overall water situation nationwide from Mr. Chuchart Rakchit, Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department. The overall rainfall situation this year is currently at 56%, which is 4% higher than last year’s s
ame period.
While the Prime Minister has urged the Royal Irrigation Department to closely manage water, especially in risk areas, and predicted that flooding will occur, to take care of the details in each district.
In addition, the Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department also explained the situation where the Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam in Nakhon Nayok Province released water, saying that water had been released from August 1-5, 2024 at a constant level. However, due to heavy rain falling downstream of the dam, flooding problems have occurred. However, water release at the Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam has now been closed.
After listening to the briefing, the Prime Minister urged Mr. Anutin that he wanted to address the issue of the Kolok River in Narathiwat Province. After visiting the area with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, it was found that it was necessary to dredge the canal to prevent it from becoming shallow and to drain water more quickly. There is still time now because the rainy season in
the South comes later than other regions, around November.
While Mr. Anutin reported that this matter is a plan and is in line with the city plan, which the Department of Public Works will coordinate with Malaysia, the Prime Minister also emphasized and ordered that it be carried out quickly even though the rain comes late. It must be completed before the rain comes to relieve Malaysia’s suffering because its area is lower than Thailand’s, but we are also suffering. For example, last year there was a flooding problem in Narathiwat Province. If we can do this, it will alleviate the suffering.
The Prime Minister then met with relevant agencies and gave policies, saying that the water problem is another major problem that Thailand has to face every year, whether it be flooding, drought, or poor quality water. He intends to solve this problem urgently by assigning government agencies responsible for water to continuously integrate their work to create important plans and projects, and to expedite the implementa
tion within a 3-year timeframe, as well as considering important long-term projects to provide water to farms and clean water to every village, effectively solving water disasters.
The Prime Minister also emphasized enhancing the efficiency of existing projects to maximize their utilization, and considered constructing additional water management networks and distribution systems to ensure appropriate use of the national budget. During this rainy season, he assigned the Royal Irrigation Department and GISTDA to present areas that repeatedly flood, along with solutions to the problems that arise.
The Prime Minister ordered the meeting to discuss the 3-year plan for water resources, assigning ONWR to expedite the drafting of the 3-year plan for water resources and important projects to be completed and submitted to the Cabinet by August. ONWR is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the plan and reporting to the Cabinet on a regular basis. The Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Agricu
lture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and ONWR are to integrate the implementation of the plan to achieve the set goals.
As for water management during this rainy season, the Prime Minister has assigned ONWR to monitor and supervise all relevant agencies to operate in accordance with water management guidelines and strictly follow the 10 measures to cope with the rainy season.
For areas with repeated flooding, ONWR should integrate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Interior to clearly define the areas of responsibility to solve the flooding problem. We would like to emphasize the need to manage the situation and solve the problem quickly, and to communicate effectively with the public to create understanding, reach out, and minimize the impact on the public.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister stated that the water problem is an urgent problem for Thailand that must be better solved within this government, whether it is flooding, drough
t, or water quality. He has assigned water agencies to continuously work together to create a 3-year water plan and a long-term plan to ‘water reaching farms, clean water in every village, and solving water disasters.’ He emphasized improving existing projects to maximize their benefits and constructing additional water management networks, while considering the urgency and appropriateness of budget spending as important factors.
The water management discussion meeting considered and approved the 3-year plan on water resources and important projects to solve problems of water for consumption, drought, flooding, and other water disasters, which will benefit 6.22 million households and cover an area of ??24.19 million rai. It consists of 5 plans: increasing water for consumption, improving the efficiency of existing water sources and developing water distribution systems, developing rain-fed agricultural areas, developing flooded areas and protecting urban communities, and developing upstream areas.
The Prime
Minister said that the government has an important policy to solve the water problem for the people. He has ordered ONWR to urgently prepare a water plan and submit it to the Cabinet for consideration within this August. He has also assigned all agencies to manage water without causing any impact on the people, emphasizing effective communication and advance warning. He has assigned GISTDA to assess photographs in areas with repeated flooding together with the Royal Irrigation Department, and has assigned the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and ONWR to jointly monitor and monitor the situation, manage and solve problems in the area, and warn the people in order to have the least impact on the people.
When asked if he was confident that the water management would not repeat the flooding of 2011, the Prime Minister said, ‘I am confident.’
Source: Thai News Agency