This year, flooding has devastated some parts of Thailand.
At least 25 people have died in the South more just, and more than 50 have already lost their lives in the North earlier this year. While culture change is largely concerned, there are specific man-made reasons for the crisis, Pianporn” Pai” Deetes told Bangkok Post’s” Deeper Dive” vodcast.
The Southeast Asia project director for the NGO International Rivers identified three distinct foundations for the problem: forest, rivers and invasion.
Ironic that a flood cause also contributes to the annual PM2.5 fog in northeastern Thailand, which is caused by locals ‘ suffering as Ms Pianporn put it, “half flood, half haze.”
Mine is also a factor, especially in the Shan State, which is close to the border with Myanmar and burns the forests down to grow maize.
” Satellite pictures showed they are mine– may be gold mine, and it seems to be illegal … in Myanmar after the revolt three years ago, there are no such laws in place”, she told the vodcast.
” In Myanmar, there are fewer reviews because there isn’t much media or civil society place.”
There are also numerous activities, including opened mining sites in the middle Mae Sai River and monocrop plantations, which are likely to be the main cause of the mud floods in the Chiang Rai district and Tachileik district of Myanmar.
Forest causes a lot of mud and sand to flow into cities, villages, and towns, which worsens or amplifies the storm effect on population.
” Mae Sai is also recovering from his or her past.” The large machines are also bringing the sand and all of their people’s homes, according to Ms. Pianporn.
The increasing number of rivers downstream is also a contributing factor to the flooding in northern Thailand.
The advocate claimed that the dams on the Mekong, which were affected by the recent floods, are also affected by the rain that also occurred in southern Yunnan [in China ], and that the dams that must release water.
Because of the high volume of water [often ] along the Mekong River, we can see that the water from the flood area in Chiang Rai drained more slowly.
We are not blaming anyone, but [but ] I think China, as an inland power, needs to listen to its downstream neighbors because we are sharing this water course up.” So, it is important in the case of the Mekong, or in the case of any foreign streams like this, for governments to talk to each another.
The Office of Water Resources wrote to China asking them to stop operating the dams in recognition of their impact on downstream areas and floods.
In addition to dams and deforestation, Ms. Pianporn identified encroachment on the rivers as a significant source of flooding.
” I discussed with one historian…the real cause of this flood in Chiang Rai city. Even my mother’s foundation office, which is located on the edge of Chiang Rai town, was shown the old images of the ancient city of Chiang Rai.
” So our office is right on the old river!” And we didn’t know that,’ ‘ she said.
Building flood walls, she argues, is not the answer.
” They have a flood wall between the river and the city in many cases, much like Sukhothai or Nakhon Sawan.” However, many cases around the world demonstrate that flood walls can be very dangerous because they can break and have an even greater impact.
” So I think for the cities or towns in the northern region, I will recommend nature-based solutions,’ ‘ she said.
Ms Pianporn is a supporter of” sponge cities”, integrating towns with wetlands and lakes.
But in some cases, she said”, moving communities out of very dangerous areas to other places “is inevitable. But this should not be forced, she said, noting it should be carried out in an inclusive manner, with affected residents adequately compensated.
According to Ms. Pianporn, the primary requirement at this time is to start addressing the issues and working with nature rather than against it, and to get the help of all parties involved.
” I think the most important thing is that to recognise the real problem and identify the key factors and consult with multiple stakeholders, the experts, the engineers, the farmers, the urban dwellers and academics,” she said.
Instead of just the Ministry of Interior or the Royal Irrigation Department, we should find a solution together. I think we can as a group, but I still don’t see this kind of meaningful consultation with various stakeholders, Ms Pianporn said.
Pianporn: Don’t work against nature