Govt irrigation projects long overdue and welcome

However, I noticed a piece of very good news announced in the Bangkok Post on June 26. It was about the water-development projects that will be implemented this year to generate additional water supplies in the areas where they are needed. These projects would also help expand cultivated areas by millions of rai utilising available irrigation facilities.

These are the projects that will help mobilise the existing supply of water for use before letting it out into the sea. I was informed a few years ago by friends at the National Economic and Social Development Board that out of the total rainfall, rain-fed runoff was as high as 40 per cent (this figure may have changed since, but I believe it would not have changed by much). This indicates that with proper management, we actually do have enough supply of water to serve our current demands.

Three projects that will be implemented this year are good examples of proper water management - using it before it is let into the sea. They are:

1) The construction of a large water-pumping station to pump water from the area behind the Rajaprapa Dam in Surat Thani and put it into the irrigation system in the nearby area for agricultural use before releasing it into the sea. Currently, the amount of water from this area going straight to the sea is as high as 28.3 billion litres per year.

2) The installation of a 45.7-kilometre pipeline to divert water from Chanthaburi to Rayong in order to serve the demand for fresh water in Rayong's industrial area, which faces a water shortage in dry season.

3) The water-diversion project of the Chao Phya basin to the Bang Phra reservoir in Chon Buri to increase the water supply to serve the needs of manufacturers, the hotel industry as well as other tourist places and households, especially in dry season.

I am glad that the government has sped up these projects, as they will help alleviate water-shortage problems for industrial, agricultural and household use effectively by making better use of the existing water supply from the usual amount of rainfall.

Reading this news reminded me of another piece of good news announced last month. It was the approval of large water-diversion projects, which will take a longer time to complete, at the following locations:

1) A project to divert excess water from Yuam reservoir in Mae Hong Son to fill in the reservoir in Bhumibol Dam for power generation and agricultural use.

2) A project to divert water from the Tha Sae Dam to the Bang Saphan area in Prachuap Khiri Khan to serve the needs of manufacturing industries in the area.

3) A project to divert water from the area behind Nam Nguem Dam in Laos through an underground water tunnel beneath the Mekong river to Huay Luang and Lam Pao in Thailand. The water supply passing through the generator is typically released into the Mekong River. This project would keep that supply of water for agricultural use in Thailand before it is released into the river.

4) A project to divert water from Pak Chom weir to the Ubolratana reservoir. In the rainy season, the water supply in the Pak Chom weir rises beyond its capacity and causes flooding before going into the Mekong River without being used. This excess water supply would be diverted to fill in the Ubolratana reservoir where it could be put to better use before flowing into the Mekong River.

All the above-mentioned projects deserve praise, which should go to all parties involved: the government officials for their knowledge of the sources of excess water that could feed areas with water shortages and the channels to do this most effectively, and the natural resources and environment minister together with the government for appreciating the value of these projects and pushing them out. These projects should have been implemented years ago, but they were delayed because a certain government overlooked the ready know-how of government officials and tried to come up with new ideas by itself, while the following government simply kept the status quo without making any progressive moves.

Besides, I have learned that the Irrigation Department has prepared many more projects, both medium-sized and small, to increase the water supply in remote areas upcountry for agricultural as well as household use. These projects are very important since they will help expand the cultivated area. At the moment, there are still idle pieces of land, which do not have access to an adequate supply of water. The expansion of irrigation to reach these pieces of idle land will help increase areas for growing rice, which is crucial now since some rice fields are giving way to fields growing rubber plants, tapioca, sugar cane due to the higher prices these crops can fetch. These additional areas for growing rice would help ensure that the overall area devoted to growing rice will not diminish. I believe that the natural resources and environment minister and the government are seriously looking at all these projects. I would urge them to speed up and implement these good projects without hesitation.

Until next Monday.