Nan Secures Funding for Major Reservoir Project

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Cabinet has approved a budget of 6.2 billion baht for the Royal Irrigation Department to construct a new multi-purpose reservoir in the northern province of Nan.

 

The reservoir, which has been named the Nam Khee, will be located in the Ban Wang Pha area of Pha Thong sub-district and will cover an area of 277 hectares within the Nam Yao National Forest Reserve and Nam Suat Forest.

 

According to Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek, the reservoir will serve multiple purposes including irrigation, water storage for consumption, flood control, and as a new tourist destination in the province. The project is set to increase the amount of irrigated land in the Pha Thong, Pha To, Pa Kha, Si Phum, Rim and Tan Chum sub-districts, as well as in the Tha Wang Pha municipal area, for a total of 5,680 hectares. As many as 6,000 households are expected to benefit from the irrigation system.

 

The dam for the reservoir will be an 845-meter rock-fill structure standing 81.5 meters in height, with a 12-meter wide crest. The reservoir will have the capacity to hold 52.31 million cubic meters of water while the irrigation system will consist of a canal and an 88 km pipeline.

 

The Royal Irrigation Department said it has also conducted an opinion poll among residents in the project area and completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the project. It added that the project is set to be implemented next year and is expected to be completed in 2030, taking seven years in total to construct.

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230118124436226

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2023-01-18

 

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[kwilco]

Yet another eco-nightmare. It seems the Royal Irrigation dept are totally out of touch with modern thinking and still obsessed with dam building. Dams can do a huge amount of environmental dam and damage to habitat in National Parks.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Cabinet has approved a budget of 6.2 billion baht for the Royal Irrigation Department to construct a new multi-purpose reservoir in the northern province of Nan.

Some happy officials rubbing their hands up north.

[zzaa09]

14 hours ago, kwilco said:

Yet another eco-nightmare. It seems the Royal Irrigation dept are totally out of touch with modern thinking and still obsessed with dam building. Dams can do a huge amount of environmental dam and damage to habitat in National Parks.

Water management surely needs another approach. 

Some more enlightened and level headed folks need to intervene.

[kwilco]

8 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Water management surely needs another approach. 

Some more enlightened and level headed folks need to intervene.

People do intervene but activists have. habit of "disappearing".

The Royal Irrigation Department has previously tried to put dams in places they are not really needed, it seems to be their sole raison d'etre.

Big dams result in 

Reduction of wildlife habitat.

intrusion of roads into pristine forest

Better access for poachers

A lucrative logging contract

Then building occurs around the lake

Possible tourist hotels

Increased encroachment

General depletion of natural resources.

 

The RID tends to dismiss alternative environmentally friendly solutions as they don't fit in with the gravy train model they have established over the past decades. It needs to be examined whether they should exist at all.