Thai Cabinet Plan Will Revamp Flood Management

[webfact]

Cabinet plan will revamp flood management

TECHAWAT SUKRAK,

SAMASCHA HUNSARA

THE NATION

The Cabinet yesterday approved in principle a master flood and water management plan, which includes new electronic weather forecasting and early warning systems.

Its budget will be drawn from a total of Bt350 billion, through tied-over allocations and outside loan schemes approved by the government.

The plan provides for improvement and upgrades to five existing systems: management of water storage and dam operations; restoration of existing infrastructure and enhancement of their efficiency; contingency and urgent relief operations; a revised plan for water catchment areas and assistance for people living near those areas; and an organisational upgrade for all responsible and relevant agencies.

The head of a national commission on restoration and future-building, Veerabongsa Ramakura, has outlined problems resulting in the failure of government operations in coping with flood and water management. Lack of cooperation and integration, along with attitude problems among senior agency officials, were the most serious and needed to be changed immediately, he said.

Yesterday the Cabinet also officially okayed a long-term plan to cope with seasonal flooding in the Chao Phraya river basin - including construction of more dams, a law to compensate villagers and farmers whose farmland was used for ad-hoc catchment, and a new agency to integrate operations.

The Royal Irrigation Department is tasked with handling the master plan, which would require a large amount of budget in tied-over approval covering the next two years. An initial Bt17.1 billion has been approved for construction and restoration of facilities, with Bt12.6 billlion earmarked for next year.

The new e-system will work jointly with the military’s mapping system, funded and given technological support by Japan's International Cooperation Agency. The forecast and early warning system would be handled by the Information and Communications Technology Ministry.

One proposal is for installation of closed-circuit television systems at all dams and water gates.

Contingency and urgent relief operations will be carried out jointly by the Interior, Defence and Natural Resources Ministries. In the Chao Phraya basin, participation of farmers and local communities is important in working together to use their land as ad-hoc catchment areas in exchange for payment.

Speaking at a Bangkok ceremony, Veerabongsa pointed out the lack of continuity of several irrigation projects as another key reason for failure in preventing flooding, saying many had been abandoned and should be reinstated.

Veerabongsa said he would quit the commission after a year or two of chairing it, if or when all projects had eventuated.

He proposed setting up a new agency to supervise overall flood and water management while intra-agency conflicts and redundancy of their responsibilities must be sorted out. "If these conflicts are dealt with before the next peak tide season, half the problems should be gone by then," he said.

For short-term solutions, networks of canals and water gates should be expanded or improved for faster flood drainage, especially to the west of Bangkok where such networks are not as effective as those in the east.

Veerabongsa also came up with a new proposal: future floodwaters must not be allowed through Ayutthaya, but diverted in three directions- the main mass flowing east and west, to the Bang Pakong river and Tha Chin river, with the minority volume allowed through Bangkok.

Separately, 480,574 government grants of Bt5,000 for each flood-damage household in 62 inundated provinces had been distributed, totalling Bt2,402,870,000. There were a total of 673,203 requests, Wibool Sa-nguanphong, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said.

In Bangkok, 621,355 requests had been approved, and 47,903 grants paid, totalling Bt239,515,000.

-- The Nation 2011-12-28

[bushwacker]

It seems to me that there is too much fluff in this mega plan. It should be very simple. Quickly concentrate your efforts in moving vasts amount of water from the north to the south that is to say from the land to the sea. Electronics are not needed to tell us that there is a lot of water out there.

[Pib]

This is a good start but you can bet we will also hear plenty of corruption stories/rumors over the coming months & years since Bt350 billion is involved.

[alexakap]

It seems to me that there is too much fluff in this mega plan. It should be very simple. Quickly concentrate your efforts in moving vasts amount of water from the north to the south that is to say from the land to the sea. Electronics are not needed to tell us that there is a lot of water out there.

But you can't fill your pocket if there is no mega-plan (read: mega-funds).

[slapout]

Since it has been shown that the early warning system installed since 2001, has not (can not) be maintained in working order, why would they opt for any early warning system, other than putting Somchai out to watch and have some one watch Somchai. If past handling of mega projects (expensive) are any indication, then this may be birthday, Christmas, election victory, New Year, all rolled into one.,

[alstaxi]

Since it has been shown that the early warning system installed since 2001, has not (can not) be maintained in working order, why would they opt for any early warning system, other than putting Somchai out to watch and have some one watch Somchai. If past handling of mega projects (expensive) are any indication, then this may be birthday, Christmas, election victory, New Year, all rolled into one.,

Quite simple really, someones brother in law makes early warning systems, they will be purchased at triple their real cost, then left gathering dust somewhere.

[anterian]

Why is an early warning system needed, one only has to watch the Philipino and Chinese news to know what is coming?