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Published on October 16, 2007

Pichai Rattananakhon, director of engineering administration at Phitsanulok's Irrigation Office 3, said the dams would be built to prevent river overflows in Phitsanulok and Phetchabun's Khao Kor district.

A group of consultant companies has started working on the project's appropriateness, environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the participation of riverside communities.

The work began on August 20 and will take 600 days to complete, he said, adding that relevant parties would hold a meeting on October 31 at

the Sabpraiwan Grand Hotel and Resort.

Pichai explained that the Wang Thong River, which originates in Phetchabun's mountain range, received a lot of forest run-off and caused Khek Noi River and branching waterways to overflow, sending 2,300 million cubic metres of water into Kwai Wang Thong River.

He said it was hoped the dams would help to hold half of this water. If only one dam was built it would have to be bigger than the Kwai Noi Dam, which holds up to 800 million cubic metres, but this would affect the Phitsanulok-Lom Sak Road.

The department's solution is to build many small dams, possibly at six out of 18 locations surveyed.

When the dams are built in two to three years, they will greatly alleviate flooding in Wang Thong and Bang Krathum districts, as well as in neighbouring Phichit province, Pichai said.

Although the dams will be located in Thung Salaeng National Park and Petchabun's Khao Kor district, they will not be built in wildlife sanctuary areas, he said.

Pichai also reported that a project to build the Klong Chompu Reservoir in Phitsanulok's Noen Maprang district to tackle flooding had reached the stage of submission of the EIA, and construction would begin if it is approved.

Another senior irrigation official, Narong Meepayung, said the recent Lekima tropical storm had caused heavy rainfall in Phetchabun's Khao Kor and Lok Sak districts and Phitsanulok's Noen Maprang, Nakhon Thai and Wang Thong districts.

However, the department was able to control run-off from Wang Thong and Noen Maprang to Bang Krathum district and neighbouring Phichit province, he said.

The Nation

Phitsanulok