About 150 residents from tambon Sa-Ieab in Phrae’s Song district gathered on Sunday to protest against the proposed Kaeng Sue Ten dam, saying it would affect thousands of households and destroy more than 10,000 rai of prime forest.
The protesters, who gathered at Wat Sri Don Chai, criticised politicians who are pushing to revive the dam plan after the recent floods.
The protesters, led by Nattapakul Srikhampha, chief of Sa-Ieab Tambon Administrative Organisation, said they were concerned by caretaker deputy prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai’s plan to revive a 200-billion-baht water management project to mitigate flooding in the Yom River basin, and former deputy prime minister Plodprasop Suraswadi’s suggestion that Kaeng Sue Ten dam go ahead.
Mr Nattapakul told the reporters the villagers oppose the dam because it will affect thousands of households and destroy over 10,000 rai of golden teak forest.
He cited a study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) under the United Nations, which found the dam would only reduce flooding in the Yom River basin by 8%.
It would help block the flow of 11 tributaries, but it won’t do anything to the 66 tributaries that are located downstream of the dam.
The construction work would also devastate 40,000–60,000 rai of forest in the area, which could worsen droughts and floods in the future, in addition to harming the local communities.
He said the proposed dam would be located on a fault line. If the dam breaks, it could lead to a huge disaster in Phrae, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sawan, among other areas, he said.
The villagers urged the government to respect nature in their effort to manage the region’s water resources, and refrain from causing more environmental damage.
They said new ideas should be considered instead of relying on outdated methods like building dams.
Another key protest leader, Prasitphon Kala-onsri, said the residents of Don Chai, Mae Ten, Don Kaew and Don Chai Sakthong villages will continue their fight against the dam until the end.
They urged the government to scrap the project and look into sustainable water management projects to control flooding throughout the Yom River basin.
“We will gather again on Sept 7 to continue our protest,” he said.
As of Sunday, floods were still reported across three northern provinces and a northeastern province in Thailand, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Flood waters were reported to have slightly receded in Chiang Rai, Sukhothai and Nong Khai, but are rising in Phitsanulok.
The areas affected were Khun Tan, Phaya Mengrai, Thoeng and Wiang Kaen districts of Chiang Rai; Bang Rakam and Phrom Phiram districts in Phitsanulok; Kong Krailat, Muang, Sawankhalok, Sri Nakhon, Sri Samrong and Sri Satchanalai districts in Sukhothai; and Muang, Ratana Wapi, Sangkhom, Sri Chiang Mai and Tha Bo districts of Nong Khai.
Chaiwat Chuntirapong, director-general of the department, said the floods were the result of persistent rain, and to date they have affected 3,979 families in 223 villages in the four provinces.
Since Aug 16, floods have affected 23 provinces and killed 22 people, he said.