Water
experts yesterday urged the Thai government to be decisive about
flood-prevention measures in order to prevent a repeat of last year's severe
flooding, as the La Nina phenomenon is expected to bring early rains and more
storms this year.
They expressed concern that a lack of clear
decisions from the government would leave the flood-prevention efforts in
disarray.
Seree Supharatid, director of Rangsit
University's Centre on Climate Change and Disaster, warned that due to the La
Nina climatic phenomenon, early rainfalls were expected between March and May,
which would force dams to release water from their reservoirs. He said major
dams such as Bhumibol and Sirikit were holding water at 90 per cent of their
capacity.
Although there would be fewer rains between
September and November, storms were likely towards the latter part of the year,
given the statistics over the past five decades. "There will also be many
storms this year," Seree said.
"If this year's water volume is as much
as last year's, I believe floods will be inevitable. We cannot implement
flood-prevention measures in the short term. The negotiation over floodways has
hit snags," he said, referring to opposition to a plan to designate
certain farming areas as floodways.
Pramote Maiklad, former director-general of
the Royal Irrigation Department, said yesterday there had been no clear
guidelines on how to deal with future flooding in Bangkok and the surrounding
provinces, and the government had yet to come up with a water resources
management proposal.
He called on the government to follow His
Majesty the King's suggestions, made as early as 1980, about designating
floodways and green belts to prevent flooding in the capital and its
surrounding provinces. He added that the royal advice had been largely ignored by
previous administrations.
Pramote said floodways - or even water tunnels
- were needed as a sustainable measure to prevent severe flooding in the lower
parts of the Chao Phraya River basin.
Seree and Pramote were speaking at a panel
discussion on "Mega-projects against Floods: Are they well thought,
rightly thought, and carefully thought?", at Chulalongkorn University. The
event was organised by the university's Asia Studies Institute and King
Prajadhipok's Institute, an independent academic organisation under the
Parliament.
Both are members of the government's Strategic
Committee for Water Resources Management, which was set up late last year
following the floods in many Central plains provinces, including Bangkok.
Seree, who is also director of the Sirindhorn
International Environmental Park's Energy and Environment Centre, noted that
out of the country's 77 provinces, only four announced their city plans.
"Without the city plans being enforced, there are problems" in
preventing floods, he said.
Borwornsak Uwanno, secretary-general of King
Prajadhipok's Institute, said at yesterday's seminar that without good
preparation and management plans, this year's flood problems would be worse
than last year's.
Meanwhile, in a petition filed with the
Central Administrative Court yesterday, the Stop Global Warming Association
(SGWA) demanded that the government award the same amount in compensation to
those affected by floods as it will be giving to victims of political unrest.
"The government should not resort to
preferential treatment," SGWA president Srisuwan Janya said.
According to the Cabinet's resolution on
January 10, the family of every person killed during political unrest in recent
years shall be entitled to about Bt7.75 million in compensation. Critics have
slammed the resolution, suggesting that the government is favouring its
red-shirt supporters.
"If the government compensates flood
victims in the same manner, it will win even more love from the people,"
Srisuwan said yesterday, adding that the government should be fair to those
affected by its own mismanagement of the flood crisis.
New Desk
The Nation
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