PUBLISHED: 8 Jan 2025 at 05: 01
A 95-billion-baht project to improve the lower northeast Chao Phraya River water system, including Ayutthaya and Phathum Thani, to avoid floods has been approved by the National Water Resources Committee.
The council on Monday agreed with the Department of Royal Irrigation’s big project to improve water flowing along the lower Chao Phraya River in order to avoid storms in the area and the money, especially during the rainy season, according to Prasert Jantararuangtong, the deputy prime minister who presided over the regional water resources commission.
The job will increase the water river network of 22 rivers, with a full length of 462.80 km, quite as Khlong Raphiphat, Khlong Prawet Buri Rom and Khlong Dan.
He claimed that the project would involve improving the canals ‘ drainage and installing irrigation systems and pumping stations to better control the river’s flow before entering the Gulf of Thailand. The project will increase the river flow rate from the present 210 cubic meters per second ( m3/s ) to 400 m3/s, which will help to prevent and lessen flooding issues on 298, 250 acres of land in the lower Chao Phraya, crucial economic and community areas.
In addition, the 22 canals will have more capacity to store water during the dry season, increasing by 17 million cubic metres per year, he said.
He claimed that the Royal Irrigation Department and the Community Organization Development Institute ( Codi ) have collaborated on a plan to get rid of 4, 940 homes along the targeted canals.
The project will need 95 billion baht in investment, of which 76.5 billion baht will be a loan, and the rest will be allocated through the government budget.
The project is anticipated to begin the following year and be finished in 2031. It is a component of a strategy to lessen the social and economic repercussions of severe floods, which are anticipated to worsen.