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Irrigation chief still wants to build Mae Wong dam
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) chief still hopes to build the controversial Mae Wong Dam in Nakhon Sawan province and says the loss of 12,000 rai (4,744 acres) of forestland for the project will be compensated with 30,000 rai of reforested area.

Lertviroj Kowattana said yesterday the department was working on a strategic plan for water management, which should be ready to be submitted this month.

He said the department had to follow proper procedures with the dam project and it needed approval from the Office of the National Environmental Board.

He said the RID had added public proposals to the plan and explained that to the Engineering Institute of Thailand - which claims that has not happened.

In response to environmental damage the dam would case, he said 150 million rai of forestland had been damaged from things like logging and at least the dam would be beneficial during periods of drought and in mitigating flooding.

Lertviroj said a need for reservoirs existed, so people should regard the environmental damage as acceptable, although the project plan called for reforestation.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Irrigation-chief-still-wants-to-build-Mae-Wong-dam-30253726.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-10

[FangFerang]

The only solution to drought in a tropical monsoon climate is to build dams, catch basins, and holding ponds. This project was fielded by the last government and was shot down due to political expediency - the last thing the Democrats wanted was to allow credit for solving the perpetual drought/flood/drought problem to be claimed by their opponents (politically intelligent, but negligent in solving the recurring tragic crisis).

Further, dams, catch basins, and holding ponds require land resources to be utilized in a different fashion. Since 75% of the land for farming is rented, no landlord wants to lose his cash cow, and so the vicious circle continues......

Edited February 10, 2015 by FangFerang

[billd766]

For me that is the other side of the Mae Wong national park.

On my side they want to build a small dam on farming land which will be about 2 or 3 sq/km only.

The park size is 894 sq km in total or at 625 rai to 1 sq/km that equals only 558750 rai or just over 1/2 million rai.

Where does Lertviroj Kowattana, the national parks chief get his figure of 150 million rai of forestland had been damaged from things like logging. That comes out as 240,000 sq/km yet the total land area of the whole of Thailand is only 513,120 sq/km.

Perhaps he needs to go back to school to learn basic maths and also to learn not to tell porkies.

[ratcatcher]

Who will get the marketable timber they log off to build the reservoir containment area.

What sort of trees are they planting as the "reforested area"

Lertviroj Kowattana

"If I say it's going ahead, it's going ahead. So there!"

Edited February 10, 2015 by ratcatcher

[cumgranosalum]

The only solution to drought in a tropical monsoon climate is to build dams, catch basins, and holding ponds. This project was fielded by the last government and was shot down due to political expediency - the last thing the Democrats wanted was to allow credit for solving the perpetual drought/flood/drought problem to be claimed by their opponents (politically intelligent, but negligent in solving the recurring tragic crisis).

Further, dams, catch basins, and holding ponds require land resources to be utilized in a different fashion. Since 75% of the land for farming is rented, no landlord wants to lose his cash cow, and so the vicious circle continues......

This dam has been "shot down" since the 1980s.

Dams are not a solution in general any more.

this dam is apart from location on a river that is too small and there have been alternatives that provide a better water supply to locals who otherwise would get no benefits.

[cumgranosalum]

I don't think people realise that this is actually a battle between water management bodies - the key is in the names....

[cumgranosalum]

RID boosts new Mae Wong Dam fast-tracked under junta’s Article 44 -

http://RID boosts new Mae Wong Dam fast-tracked under junta’s Article 44

THe RID is acting like an organisation that has no reall understanding of water management and rather than listen to the scientific aivce offered to them they have chosen firstly to cling to outdated dogma and secondly to use undemocratic ways to force their ideas upon the nation.

this tactic is an utter disgrace.