Thailand - 7 Thai agencies named in flood-wall suit

Seven state agencies have been named in a lawsuit filed by the Stop Global Warming Association over their approval of the construction of flood barriers around industrial parks in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan.

The agencies include the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management and the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development.

The move comes after a group of 39 people living around industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani provinces authorised the association to represent them in filing a suit with the Central Administrative Court against the state agencies that gave permission to the estates to construct permanent and temporary dykes.

"They are worried that the dykes will raise water levels and affect their homes," association president Srisuwan Janya said after filing the suit with the court yesterday.

The other five state agencies targeted in the lawsuit are the Industrial Works Department, the Industry Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and the Government Savings Bank.

"These [seven] agencies gave the green light and support to the industrial parks to install concrete and other types of flood barriers," Srisuwan said.

Reacting to concern that the suit would affect investor confidence should the court issue an injunction suspending construction of the dykes, Srisuwan said it was not his association's responsibility to deal with such a problem. It is the government's responsibility to manage the problem, he added.

Previously, Srisuwan had filed a complaint to the government seeking information about a clear plan to prevent and manage the risk of flooding, especially in industrial estates and the communities surrounding them in Ayutthaya province.

However, instead of announcing a clear plan to deal with flooding in the area, the government had given the green light and soft-loan support to the industrial parks to construct flood barriers, he said.

"It is the responsibility of the government to strike the right balance between the survival of the industrial parks and the communities," he added.

Meanwhile, Ayutthaya Governor Withaya Pewpong said his agency was preparing to repair two water gates on the Khao Mao and Kra Mang canals in Uthai district in order to prevent flood water flowing into the province's industrial estates.

The agency has also teamed up with the Transport Ministry to elevate ring roads surrounding industrials parks in the province. The roads will be raised one metre above ground level, with construction set to be finished within 90 days, he said.

Ayutthaya resident Kallayanee Jooprang, who lives in a neighbourhood near Rojana Industrial Park and who filed a lawsuit against the industrial estate, said she was worried that the dykes would raise water levels and submerge her paddy plantation.

"The government and local government did not give any information or explain to local people about the impact from dyke construction by industrial parks," she said. "We want to talk and find a way out together."

In a related development, the Japanese Embassy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency are drawing up a plan to resolve flood problems along the Chao Phraya River.

Their study, scheduled for completion in May, will include an aerial survey and the use of laser beams to study an area of 25,000 square kilometres.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will strengthen earthen dykes along the Chao Phraya, Bangkok Noi canal, Maha Sawas canal and a palace-initiated embankment in the eastern areas of the capital to improve the waterways' drainage capacity.

Construction will be completed by the end of August, the BMA said.

Janjira Pongrai and Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

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