Ayutthaya Farmers Worried Dykes Would Affect Their Operations

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Ayutthaya farmers worried dykes would affect their operations

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Ayutthaya

AYUTTHAYA: -- A group of 17 farmers in Ayutthaya province is demanding compensation from the government as the dykes being built around industrial parks in the province to protect against flooding would inundate their rice farms.

They asked government to pay Bt12,000 per rai as compensation.

"We are not opposed to the government's plan to prevent flooding in industrial parks by building dykes, but we want the government also to pay attention to us. We would be affected by floods because the proposed dykes would raise the water levels and affect our paddy fields," said Kallayanee Jooprang, who lives in a neighbourhood near Rojana Industrial Park.

She expressed her opinion at a public hearing yesterday that sought the response of local people to the environmental impact assessment report and their recommendations. The EIA report called for the construction of flood barriers around five industrial estates in Ayutthaya - HiTech Industrial Estate, Bang Pain Industrial Estate, Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate, Rojana Industrial Park and Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate.

Under the 1992 National Environmental Quality Act, if industrial parks want to improve or change the structure of existing dykes surrounding the parks, they need to conduct an EIA and seek additional recommendations and public opinions on the report before securing the permission of related agencies.

More than 500 people, including residents, authorities and representatives from private companies and manufacturers in Ayutthaya, participated in the event organised by Thai Environmental Techniques Co, which was hired by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT).

The EIA report is expected to be completed next month, after which it will be submitted to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning for additional recommendations before it is sent to the IEAT for approval.

Earlier, Kallayanee and 16 of her neighbours asked the AntiGlobal Warming Association to file a lawsuit against Rojana.

"We just want to live peacefully with industry but we also were worried that the dykes would raise water levels and submerge our paddy plantations," the 55yearold operator of a 12rai (2hectare) rice farm, told the conference.

Another farmer, Namphueng Khonsanbutr, 41, said she wanted the government to pay her Bt12,000 per rai as compensation as her 50 rai of rice farms would be flooded because of the dykes being built around Rojana Industrial Park.

Earlier, the government had paid her only Bt2,200 per rai as compensation but she said it was not enough to cover all the damage her rice farms would suffer.

She said she had invested more than Bt500,000 for her rice plantation. But all the paddy fields were submerged during last year's floods.

"This is not fair to farmers. Not only industrial parks but we also need the attention of the government," she said.

Master Sergeant First Class Praneet Treepreuch, a committee member of Ayutthaya province's Kan Ham Local Authority Organisation, said he supported the building of dykes around industrial parks to prevent flooding as he did not want investors to move out of his village and put their money into other areas.

"We will still have jobs if the investors do not move to other areas," he said.

Aniruth SasomArth, a hydrological engineer of Team Consulting Engineering and Management Co, said his company had conducted a study to estimate the rise in the level of flood waters caused by the dykes and found that it would not be more than 1 metre.

Chumphon Mohyadee of Thai Environmental Techniques Co said the IEAT had prepared measures to rehabilitate people who will be affected by the dykes.

"We will set up a rehabilitation centre inside the industrial parks to help floodaffected people," he said.

However, Chalerm Apiwas, headman of Ayutthaya province's Chai Mongkhon Wattana Community, said it was near the Rojana Industrial Park but no one from the park had provided information and details about the environmental impact of the dykes.

"They just give us general information," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-04-19

[MEL1]

I see they haven't learned much from the little Dutch team. All those dyke segments have got holes in them.

-mel.

[nurofiend]

temptation to make childish lesbian joke averted

[MEL1]

temptation to make childish lesbian joke averted

I struggled to avoid it too, but just managed to hold off!

-mel.

[moe666]

The Thai farmer phrased to high heaven as the paragon of thai culure but the first to be screwed and thrown to the curb.

[waza]

so the flood plan is to save industrial sites at the expense of farmland

[GarryP]

I thought the paddies were inundated anyway and unfarmable, whether or not dykes were built around industrial estates. Surely the dykes will just result in slightly higher water levels in the paddies, which will remain unfarmable.

[Payboy]

Bang Pain Industrial Estate

Guess those dykes are using strap-ons.

[chiang mai]

Obviously doesn't have the will power of the two earlier posters!

[dunkin2012]

we all can eat rice but not the manufactured electronic things. rethink !!!!!

[Moruya]

temptation to make childish lesbian joke averted

I struggled to avoid it too, but just managed to hold off!

-mel.

Ayuthaya seems to have a thing about same-sex people at the moment. Was only a few days ago that they arrested and charged a transsexual for giving his silicone enhanced mammary glands a Songkran airing.

[MEL1]

temptation to make childish lesbian joke averted

I struggled to avoid it too, but just managed to hold off!

-mel.

Ayuthaya seems to have a thing about same-sex people at the moment. Was only a few days ago that they arrested and charged a transsexual for giving his silicone enhanced mammary glands a Songkran airing.

Did you enjoy the cardiac-arrest?

-mel.

[belg]

lol... farmers also wanting something, what else is new? if they are in flood area, why not start.... fish farm...ideal conditions

[waza]

I thought the paddies were inundated anyway and unfarmable, whether or not dykes were built around industrial estates. Surely the dykes will just result in slightly higher water levels in the paddies, which will remain unfarmable.

Strangely enough the farmers tend to have homes in villages as well.

[Thai at Heart]

I thought the paddies were inundated anyway and unfarmable, whether or not dykes were built around industrial estates. Surely the dykes will just result in slightly higher water levels in the paddies, which will remain unfarmable.

Strangely enough the farmers tend to have homes in villages as well.

and putting a wall around a thousand rai when there are 100's of kms under water will raise the water level by precisely how much outside the estate?

negligible difference.

Beyond that, the walls might keep the factories dry, but that isn't of much use if the rest of the supply chain and workers are under water. Building a wall has to be the cheapest sticking plaster response they could have thought of.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[h90]

I thought the paddies were inundated anyway and unfarmable, whether or not dykes were built around industrial estates. Surely the dykes will just result in slightly higher water levels in the paddies, which will remain unfarmable.

Strangely enough the farmers tend to have homes in villages as well.

and putting a wall around a thousand rai when there are 100's of kms under water will raise the water level by precisely how much outside the estate?

negligible difference.

Beyond that, the walls might keep the factories dry, but that isn't of much use if the rest of the supply chain and workers are under water. Building a wall has to be the cheapest sticking plaster response they could have thought of.

Last time the basically and simplified they tried to block the water from going North to South.

...

[slapout]

Until the entire drainage system is under the control of a single entity, who will calcuate and provide safguard for as much of the area as possible, last years diaster will happen again. Even if the problem is approached this way, the next time, runoff/rainfall may be greater so the preventive measures will be too little. You can attempt to divert, contain and hold short term, but water is going to end up at the lower elevations on the flood plain.

I doubt that Thailand has the where with all or the desire to do what is required to reduce the flood risk to those who can least afford it. I have yet to see a fail safe flood system when you look at the area involved in Thailand, China, US

, bangladesh, come to mind where mother nature thumbs her nose at the attmepts of mankind to prevent floods on a occasional basis.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

IMO shouldn't even be trying to "control" flooding - just provide the accurate information, published publicly for all, perhaps notified in writing by the government when the deed gets transferred - "This land gets severely flooded on average every X years", and let that control pricing.

Ideally they would completely prevent anything very valuable from being built in the lowest-lying areas and let those who can afford insurance pay accordingly, their rates are directly related to historical patterns, much more accurately than the governments.

But of course that would require rationality and rule of law. . .

[animatic]

So only hire Dees and not Toms...

Sorry could not be helped.

But no little dutch boy jokes.

Edited April 20, 2012 by animatic

[Bagwan]

I see they haven't learned much from the little Dutch team. All those dyke segments have got holes in them.

-mel.

I see they haven't learned much from the little Dutch team. All those dyke segments have got holes in them.

-mel.

Of course they have. What do you think that little Thai lads are going to do when the rains come? The easy part is getting them to make use of their digits, but how many Thais will respond positively when told to 'pull their fingers out'?

[OzMick]

I thought only the katois had operations - what do they do to butch girls? Breast reductions and short-back-and-sides haircuts?

[OzMick]

I see they haven't learned much from the little Dutch team. All those dyke segments have got holes in them.

-mel.

Those are special one-way holes to let the water out after the wall is topped. Whatever you do, don't put your finger (or other appendage) in one.