Lamphun: Big crowd for initial flood control forum

[webfact]

Big crowd for initial flood control forum
The Nation



Locals in Lamphun not enthused about Plan for Reservoir in Area

LAMPHUN: -- The first public forum for the government's Bt350-billion water-management scheme took place in Lamphun yesterday, with locals receiving very little information in advance from the authorities.

About 2,000 locals - many worried that a planned reservoir may adversely affect their lives and environment - attended the forum, which was much higher than the authorities' initial estimate that about 800 people would come.

"Officials hadn't given us any information nor had they held any discussion with locals before it organised this event. Local people, of course, couldn't understand this reservoir project," Saneh Jinajan said on behalf of the locals.

The government plans to build the Huai Tang Reservoir in Lamphun as parts of it nationwide water-management scheme. Yesterday's forum focused on this planned reservoir.

"We don't think a reservoir will fit into our local landscape that is full of caves and ravines. We also have lots of forestland here. We would be better conserving the forest than constructing a reservoir," Saneh said.

"The government should consider spending the money on enlarging natural waterways instead."

Lamphun Governor Suwan Klaosoontorn assured people at the meeting that the project was planned but not yet concluded. "It's still in the stage of gathering people's opinions," he said. Although hundreds of people showed up with banners critical of the Huai Tang Reservoir, police also turned up to monitor the situation, so the forum went smoothly to the end.

The Huai Tang Reservoir is a part of Module A1, which calls for the construction of 18 reservoirs to store 1.3 billion cubic metres of water under a Bt50-billion budget. Construction is scheduled for completion within five years.

Apichart Anukularmphai, who chairs the Water and Flood Management Commission's subcommittee on academic and project analysis, said details in Module A1 could still be adjusted.

"Where there is strong opposition, we may need to consider other alternatives. But overall, this module must have the capacity to store 1.3 billion cubic metres of water," he said.

He said Huai Tang Reservoir was the only water-management construction plan for Lamphun.

"While the reservoir won't benefit upstream areas, it will be useful to downstream areas," Apichart said. He urged people to listen to project details before expressing any opposition.

The government will hold 35 public forums on the water-management modules. They will be held in a range of provinces, with the last forum to take place in Bangkok on December 6.

Critics said the government chose to kick off the first public forum in Lamphun because it involved a small project and was expected to generate the least opposition of all.

"If it started with the Mae Cham Dam |in Chiang Mai, it would of course face |fiercer opposition," one of the critics commented.


-- The Nation 2013-10-16