NCPO shelves 350 billion baht water projects for reconsideration

[Lite Beer]

NCPO shelves 350 billion baht water projects for reconsideration

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order has issued an urgent order instructing all governmental agencies which are concerned with the 350 billion baht water management projects to put on hold all the projects whether any of them have been endorsed, being implemented or in the planning stage.

The agencies concerned were told to submit details about the projects, including budgets, that they are responsible for to the economic advisory board of the NCPO for reconsideration within Monday.

General Chatchai Sarikalya, deputy chief of the advisory board, has been tasked with overseeing all the water management projects.

Earlier, a panel of the Engineering Institute of Thailand led by Mr Pramote Maiklad, former director-general of the Irrigation Department and a respectable water expert, submitted a letter to the NCPO demanding that all the projects except a handful of them be scrapped claiming that they will not help prevent flooding.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ncpo-shelves-350-billion-baht-water-projects-reconsideration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ncpo-shelves-350-billion-baht-water-projects-reconsideration

-- Thai PBS 2014-06-08

[ginjag]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

[xminator]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

[Roadman]

What is becoming concerning is the amount of educated people and in this specific case the Engineering Institute panel with people with credentials (accepting here that he is Thai and has not done time fingering a Dutch Dyke - for all you thai knockers) that are coming out as each of these Pheu Thai wonderfully efficient projects are scrapped and pointing out the ineffectiveness of them. The extent of the incompetence, corruption and lack of professional due diligence from the Shinawatra criminals does not surprise. And perhaps the over riding of profession opinions to grease more unaccounted cash from Thai tax payers.

The photos of the dredging of the canal behind government house in quest for more clues of the mystery body with the amount of garbage being hauled out leads one to agree with comments from other flood protections groups is that the number one priority should not be digging more flood channels but maintaining and heavy dredging those that currently exist.

[Gunna]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

get off the drugs, they are messing with your brain

[Mango Bob]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

[AleG]

What is becoming concerning is the amount of educated people and in this specific case the Engineering Institute panel with people with credentials (accepting here that he is Thai and has not done time fingering a Dutch Dyke - for all you thai knockers) that are coming out as each of these Pheu Thai wonderfully efficient projects are scrapped and pointing out the ineffectiveness of them. The extent of the incompetence, corruption and lack of professional due diligence from the Shinawatra criminals does not surprise. And perhaps the over riding of profession opinions to grease more unaccounted cash from Thai tax payers.

The photos of the dredging of the canal behind government house in quest for more clues of the mystery body with the amount of garbage being hauled out leads one to agree with comments from other flood protections groups is that the number one priority should not be digging more flood channels but maintaining and heavy dredging those that currently exist.

I have a friend that was studying water management at AIT not long after the floods, he told me of how the flood management experts at the time were being overrulled by politicians and their appointed minions (obviously with no credentials) on how to manage the flooding, not surprisingly the floods were a disaster.

[BillyBobThai]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

There are probably some water projects that do need to be done, but with the corrupt PTP way of doing things, the good general wants to put a stop to all, pending further considerations. I doubt that this general has his head in the sand.

I would love to see him put together an international team to come to Thailand and make an honest assessment of the of the water problem.

[smedly]

Slightly off topic but relevant

I'd like to know how many officials the tax payers are paying for that have been moved to inactive posts for being corrupt - incompetent or what ever reason, in the west most of them would have been sacked or forced to resign

Shortly after the 22nd of June we had many officials removed including senior police and government administrators because they were obviously involved in some dodgy stuff, it's time the message went out that these people risk losing everything if caught and that such actions will not be tolerated by the Thai people, senior police involved/heading local Mafia and various forms of corruption or illegal activity - drugs - gambling - government projects etc - fire them - seize their assets and jail them, no more of this nonsense paying them for doing nothing

[djjamie]

No doubt the ecological systems in Thailand and the environmentalists are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

I bet Plodprasop Suraswadi is not calling the environmentalists garbage now either!

[ginjag]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

Good to learn you don't give a monkey's about the lives lost and affected before. Kids electrocuted and elders more than drowned ----because of the admittance of the water management minister he was wrong by not letting water out of the dams early enough.

This probe into the "where was the money spent and what measures were taken by PTP" by all accounts rubbish projects that would never be any defense against excess water.

[WhizBang]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

Bobby, time for you to slither back under your rock with all your red/PTP/UDD friends.

[WhizBang]

Let's also have a full audit to find out how much of the money is left.

[Mudcrab]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

If you can't get your own way - spit the dummy and hope everyone else suffers. Real adult thinking Bob.

[BSJ]

if you build a huge city on a flood plane without diversion channels and flood gates your bound to get your feet wet sooner or later.

I say that not knowing if the work being done will be effective....or not.

[lomatopo]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

[ScouseTommy]

Does anyone on here know any details of what the individual projects were, and what they were supposed to accomplish?

[northernjohn]

Good, for the NPCO, this is another glaring example of corrupt PTP planning.

Accounts please books please, note all you few Pro gov posters. I believe the second biggest meant corrupt project. Audit please water board.

No, you get this wrong. There was no floods last year, so there will never be any floods again. This is not about corruption, its about short sighted people forgetting someone elses wet feet when they themselfs had dry feet.

There are probably some water projects that do need to be done, but with the corrupt PTP way of doing things, the good general wants to put a stop to all, pending further considerations. I doubt that this general has his head in the sand.

I would love to see him put together an international team to come to Thailand and make an honest assessment of the of the water problem.

If memory serves me rite The Dutch volunteered to help with water management and were told no Thailand had it's own experts (people who know how to do what the Politian's say)

Again giving Thaksin credit he had asked experts from Israel in and had them make suggestions. Israel has lots of experience with irrigation.

Of course his next party ignored them as they were not big money corruption ideas. I am far away from a Thaksin lover but he did have a good idea. He just ignored it when he realized there was no money in it for him.

The amount of crap the new government has to straighten out is monumental. Let us hope they can set up an electoral system that will supply an honest government.

I am going to push the ridicules here and say an informed electorate.

[northernjohn]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

Well on the faced of it. It does sound crazy but when you look at the amount of projects in all the different areas they are responsible for it makes sense. Just not enough time to examine them separately in three weeks. It has taken them that long just to get to the water management.

Unfamiliar with the project you are talking about. Is that the one where they failed to do the studies required by law and awarded the contract to a dodgy Korean company?

[ratcatcher]

if you build a huge city on a flood plane without diversion channels and flood gates your bound to get your feet wet sooner or later.

I say that not knowing if the work being done will be effective....or not.

Not quite true.

If you build a massive airport on a swamp that was the 'sponge' that absorbed much of the excess runoff and then fail to maintain all the feeder klongs running north to south, then you are asking for major problems.

Bangkok was built on the Chao Phraya river long before the advent of motor vehicles, and water transportation was very efficient and heavily used.

I agree that Bangkok has been overbuilt in the areas closest to the river, and in years to come flooding and sinking will take their toll. Venice of the east all over again.

In relation to the article, the NCPO is probably looking to see how many naval vessels will be required to speed up the river's flow in flood season. (AKA the Plodprop method)

[Lite Beer]

THB 350 billion water management projects likely to be reevaluated

BANGKOK, 8 June 2014 (NNT) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has reportedly called for a stop to all 350-billion-baht water management mega projects initiated by the previous administration.

A source from the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIA) said the NCPO had sent a letter to the institute asking the latter to halt the water management projects, both approved and yet to be approved, and submit all information to the NCPO department responsible for economic affairs by 9 June 2014. The NCPO is expected to reconsider the projects and make a suitable plan to implement them.

Meanwhile, EIA President Suchatchawee Suwansawat said he had not received the letter but he believed that the NCPO would definitely reviewed the water management projects. He added that the projects had faced many problems and objections from many sides and expected that the NCPO would appoint a committee specifically responsible for the reevaluation.

-- NNT 2014-06-08

[Trembly]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

The 350 bn flood prevention programme has been rammed through every single check and balance without a clear budget.

There wasn't even any public consultation until the local people made a big fuss about it and the courts forced Plodprasop to conduct local consultations... Which he did by busing in thugs to heckle or keep locals away while the panel said "all those in agreement say aye".

I'll just say it again: NO CLEAR BUDGET.

That means the government was basically saying to the treasury, "just give us the money, we'll tell you how it was spent afterwards."

Thank god they never reached the final approval stage.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Trembly

[Robby nz]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

Don't know where you get the many, many years bit.

If you were to read the OP you will see that this is about the projects proposed under the 350 billion scheme.

This scheme only came about after the 2011 floods.

Rightly so that they should be shelved till proper evaluation is done for there were and are many who have expressed grave doubts about their effectiveness and the harm they will do to not only the environment but to peoples lives.

There is also the aspect of the blatant misuse of the consultation process (environmental and health) where only those invited to attend were allowed in to the supposed consultation meetings in many cases keeping those who would be worst affected out and giving them no say.

It was also reported that at some of these meetings the 'invited guests' were paid a travel allowance to attend.

Making sure that the correct YES vote was given by those in attendance.

[gabruce]

So projects in the planing stages for many, many, many years, including during Khun Pramote's tenure as head of the Royal Irrigation Department, are all shelved after what, a week of review?

Crazy stuff.

Well they are shelved pending review. The article says that they need to submit info on Monday. It seems more likely that they are being suspended until they can sort out which ones are for real and which ones were designed for pocket money. So, no water projects until they can show that individual projects are useful (and presumably worth the cost and budgeted properly). Seems like a responsible approach.

[Artisi]

Of course it should all be shelved as the scheme/s were designed not from a water management /engineering aspect, but solely for the benefit of the few to cream-off as much as they could.

Time to get a few of the worlds experts in and review the whole water management system, including the clearing and sorting out of the existing system so heavily clogged and run-down it can not possibly handle the peak flows when necessary.

[lomatopo]

Don't know where you get the many, many years bit.

Some of these projects have been proposed since 1991.

expected that the NCPO would appoint a committee

Yes, by all means, form a committee. Good thing they didn't take this long to take over the country.

[Trembly]

Of course it should all be shelved as the scheme/s were designed not from a water management /engineering aspect, but solely for the benefit of the few to cream-off as much as they could.

Time to get a few of the worlds experts in and review the whole water management system, including the clearing and sorting out of the existing system so heavily clogged and run-down it can not possibly handle the peak flows when necessary.

They should get back in touch with the Dutch boys who were the first to offer help in this regard.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Trembly

[plachon]

Of course it should all be shelved as the scheme/s were designed not from a water management /engineering aspect, but solely for the benefit of the few to cream-off as much as they could.

Time to get a few of the worlds experts in and review the whole water management system, including the clearing and sorting out of the existing system so heavily clogged and run-down it can not possibly handle the peak flows when necessary.

You have the motivation for the 350 billion baht water management project just about nailed, as have been other large-scale infrastructure projects in Thailand in the past, whether water, transport or energy. There are other motivations by the elite promoters, such as the pork-barreling aspects of gaining votes from the electorate and continual programme of centralisation of decision-making in a few hands, including bureaucrats, politicians and business elite, from the competing political networks. This Thaksin/TRT promoted one was particularly egregious, as I have it on good authority from someone who has studied this sector closely, that the deal with K-Water as main contractor was done indecently quickly by Thaksin on a trip to Korea, while the sum of 350 billion baht was basically worked out on the back of an envelope by a couple of non- WRM experts and all else followed in the quest to mobilise this fantastical figure from the public purse, supported by a massive overseas loan, that would ensure its controllers almost certain victory at future general elections. Hence, another good reason for the "other side" to ensure it was not allowed to proceed.

The problem now is that an alternative and competitive plan will almost certainly be hatched by the new incumbents, that may be just as bad and self-interested as the plan it replaces. The whole system of centrally-controlled mega-project planning needs to be challenged before there will be a fundamental change in water resources development. And I see no real appetite for decentralisation and participatory planning approaches amongst the junta at present.

[dru2]

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

You really are a very self-centred and stupid Thaksinista!

[SamMunich]

dru2

Good, I hope to see Bangkok under water in the next few years.

You really are a very self-centred and stupid Thaksinista!

Folks, don't get taken for a ride by a funny snide. Taksin is out, Future is in!

I'm glad the generals dare to stop such big-scale project, as most others would have said, it is too late to stop it now.

For the anti-flooding projects as well as for the 2.3 Trillion (?) Baht infrastructure project a re-checking should be made on their usefulenss and the cost of it. Prefably from local and international experts from universities etc and not from companies, that have a financial interest in these projects.

So far, the generals have made no mistakes...