Water & Soil Erosion From Adjacent Road & Hills

[Lomsak]

Our land on one border has an unmade government road running along it.

On the other side of the rough road is at a higher elevation and an area of rising hills.

The water runoff is coming from a huge area of land being de- forested.

The amount of water pouring onto our land and soil erosion is severe.

We cannot stop the ever increasing water flow onto our land as land higher up in the foothills gets developed.

I cannot see the Local government spending any money in putting in drainage, as so little residential traffic.

The only options we have is to get rid of the water once it comes onto our land.

What can we do, and do we need permission to do it?

(It's on land controlled by the Navy in the Sattahip area)

We could build a retaining wall, and concrete drainage ditch along the entire length.

But there is no easy place for us to send the water.

Options could be?

1: Do nothing

2: Complain to local Government

3 Build drainage channel to take the flood water to the far side of our land adjacent to a concrete (government) road.

But I do not think any drainage system installed by this road. Gets rid of our problem but then floods our neighbours instead?

Guess if we did this it would be illegal.

4: Our neighbour has a canal on the far side of his property.

Willing to build a joint drainage system to drain into a klong (canal) if we share the price.

How do we guarantee ongoing (i.e. if the neighbours land sold) right to use the channel to drain away the water?

They in future could hold us to ransom?

Would it make any difference if the drainage/piping underground?

Could we secure access rights through a standard agreement provided by an Attorney?

Thoughts guidance much appreciated as we are absent landlords and local farmer using the land.

[IsaanAussie]

Lomsak,

I do not how long this boundary is, nor the size of the catchment area on the other side of the road but the one thing that occurs to me is you need to slow the water down and divert it. Have you considered bulldozing a earthen dike across the front of your land. On the front face plant some deep rooted grasses like vetiver now and you should have reasonable errosion pretection next year. The strip of ground between you land and the road, as well as the road will act as the channel to carry the water away to where ever, not your problem.

The flooding is for a limited time each year and the dike can be repaired or replaced much cheaper than any form of drainage. On your land, up to you. Off your land, too hard....

Isaanaussie

[meandwi]

How much soil are you getting on your property from the hillside? Sounds like alot. I'd collect as much as possible during this rainy season and distribute to low areas that need it, saving some to repair during the dry season.

Try to post a picture.

meandwi

[Lomsak]

Lomsak,

I do not how long this boundary is, nor the size of the catchment area on the other side of the road but the one thing that occurs to me is you need to slow the water down and divert it. Have you considered bulldozing a earthen dike across the front of your land. On the front face plant some deep rooted grasses like vetiver now and you should have reasonable errosion pretection next year. The strip of ground between you land and the road, as well as the road will act as the channel to carry the water away to where ever, not your problem.

The flooding is for a limited time each year and the dike can be repaired or replaced much cheaper than any form of drainage. On your land, up to you. Off your land, too hard....

Isaanaussie

Thanks for the guidance

The Border is about 130 metres plus in length

Your suggestion sounds cost effective, but do you think legally if it then causes more flooding to others i will be held responsible?

(really want to work and win the trust wherever possible of the locals, and diverting the water out of our land will mean there houses are under even more water than at present... )

Secondly currently the flood water coming onto the land is then washing up against my neighbours new wall ( on my eastern border) and washing it away in places.

As the water that is causing the damage "came lastly from our land" are we liable, as again do not want to alienate locals!

[Lomsak]

How much soil are you getting on your property from the hillside? Sounds like alot. I'd collect as much as possible during this rainy season and distribute to low areas that need it, saving some to repair during the dry season.

Try to post a picture.

meandwi

Problem is that the water is running so fast its actually picking up a lot of soil as it travels across our land.

I think we have lost about the equivalent of around 20 large lorry loads of soil in the past two weeks alone.

[IsaanAussie]

Lomsak,

I do not how long this boundary is, nor the size of the catchment area on the other side of the road but the one thing that occurs to me is you need to slow the water down and divert it. Have you considered bulldozing a earthen dike across the front of your land. On the front face plant some deep rooted grasses like vetiver now and you should have reasonable errosion pretection next year. The strip of ground between you land and the road, as well as the road will act as the channel to carry the water away to where ever, not your problem.

The flooding is for a limited time each year and the dike can be repaired or replaced much cheaper than any form of drainage. On your land, up to you. Off your land, too hard....

Isaanaussie

Thanks for the guidance

The Border is about 130 metres plus in length

Your suggestion sounds cost effective, but do you think legally if it then causes more flooding to others i will be held responsible?

(really want to work and win the trust wherever possible of the locals, and diverting the water out of our land will mean there houses are under even more water than at present... )

Secondly currently the flood water coming onto the land is then washing up against my neighbours new wall ( on my eastern border) and washing it away in places.

As the water that is causing the damage "came lastly from our land" are we liable, as again do not want to alienate locals!

If you stop the water entering your land, then you can hardly be accused of "causing" the problem, the neighbours wall is there for a reason, isnt it? Perhaps you and the neighbours should approach the authorities that control the land opposite and see what they can do to prevent the problem.

As far as liability is concerned, perhaps you should consult legal advisors, there should be some precedent somewhere under Thai law.

[slapout]

A earthen dike or terrace which follows the contour and slope of farm land will slow and divert water flow, thus decreaseing erosion very nicely. It requires some elevation shots and marking out the proposed terrace. I have no idea if local people have experience in this, but a Ag university or govt ag group may have some helpful input.

[Maizefarmer]

Complain - and ask for compensation: damage caused by water from deliberate de-forestation is the liability of the landowner (from where the run-off is coming) - especialy if they neither warned you or had run-off policy in-hand. There was a test case in court in early 2005: court found in favour of the landowner whose land had been damaged and the government scrambled quickly to put a policy in place (no idea what the fine print says)

Me thinks you are going to have to do some research, and you are going to have to demonstrate byond any doubt that what is happening to your land is a direct result of deforestation higher up, but there is compensation somewhere in the system if you can demonstrate thatv- especially if it's coming from State property.

[xerostar]

Have you thought about moving to a better location?