Water Management in Thailand (part 4)
On March 14, 16 and 21, 2011, before the catastrophic floods occurred later that year, I wrote a general story in three parts for this blog about water management in Thailand.
In part 1 I described the history of Thai-Dutch relations in this area, in part 2 a summary of a report “The water sector in Thailand” made in 2008 by Alex van der Wal of the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok and part 3 dealt with the report of a Dutch delegation of experts in the field of water management, who, at the request of the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology, made a number of recommendations for a sustainable water management policy in Thailand after conducting an on-site investigation.
I especially recommend part 3: www.thailandblog.nl/thailand/waterbeheer/ in which the conclusions and recommendations are stated. From this story you can safely draw the conclusion that the later disaster in Thailand is not only due to natural disasters, but certainly also to the failure of several authorities that have to do with water management.
The delegation will certainly not have expected that the recommendations would be adopted immediately, in addition to the fact that direct measures had to be taken later in the year to limit the damage as much as possible. The latter, we all know, has not succeeded by any means.
Now, two years later, some improvements have been made here and there, but there is a lack of coordination. The floods are once again the order of the day, although the government regularly shouts: “Don't Worry!”
And behold, a bit hidden in other current news, a news fact appears that there could be a breakthrough (forgive my unfortunate choice of words!). The current cabinet has given the WFMC (Water and Flood Management Commission) the green light to prepare a bill for the establishment of a Ministry of Water.
The chairman of this committee, Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, believes that such a ministry is necessary to achieve efficient water management in the longer term. The approval was granted after he had convinced the cabinet that a budget of 350 billion baht previously approved by the cabinet would enable integrated and efficient water management.
Aside from the recurring misery, I thought that was good news!
About this blogger
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Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
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Great story, Gringo. Only, when that Ministry of Water actually gets there, I fear with great fear that people will start working there again who have not been selected for their expertise, but for the degree of their loyalty to Thaksin S. The entire cabinet is to collected in this way so far.
It would be really hard for me to take a position on this, because the past simply showed that absolutely nothing is being done about water management and the own bank accounts of politicians and contractors continue to 'fill up'. They prefer to let their own people perish. We leave Thailand what Thailand is and draw our own plan. We enjoy each other and our home here every day. Fortunately, I live in an area that has never been flooded, but if it comes to that, we will temporarily take refuge in our condo in Singapore. So to speak… this too is 'Amazing Thailand'.
Why are some Dutch people so pesimistic when it comes to the fact that the Thais want to make a change - speak improvement?. First grumble that the Thai do nothing about the flooding. When the Thais announce that they are going to do something about it, they grumble again?. If, according to some readers, Mr. P supposedly can't do it, let the grumblers have their turn. So far all I hear is grumbling. I have not yet seen executable solutions from this group, who know everything better, here.
The Thai population has been living with water nuisance for hundreds of years. Admittedly, just like in 1942, in 2011 it was very touching. In the monsoon time it gets flooded every year. And we care about it? rebel
@Rebell, announcing to do something and actually doing something are two different things. I can also tell you that in recent times and in 2011 alternatives have indeed been introduced by posters on TB about how to avoid a (new) catastrophe, but you apparently missed that.
And finally, if you think that Plopje can do it, then I can recommend a course “Hydrology for Dummies”. Within a day you will understand that Plopje can't do it.
Hi Cor. I know that announcement and doing are not the same thing. But you can give the “doer” a chance first. We also do this, for example, with a new cabinet. Even if we think we know one or the other new one doesn't know a thing about it, we still give him a chance. starter bonus ? May those Thais have mine too.
I think it would be a good idea to set up a special Thai ministry. We will see afterwards how they will “do” it, right?
I may well have missed a few reactions to TB. Seems normal to me too. But I prefer to work with information that is a bit clearer than some private opinion and ideas. I would like to receive those of your addressed course. I am always open to broadening knowledge.
As far as Thai water management is concerned, I regularly drive the Korat-Udon Thani route. It is a fixed point that the highway is under it a few times every year. The Thais there even hope that it will happen, otherwise their rice harvest will fail.
This part of the world thrives on the monsoon. And therein lies the problem, which is difficult to get to. It also has a lot to do with the geographical location and layout of Thailand. The same applies to the Netherlands. If we remove our dikes, the Netherlands will be 60% smaller. Apart from the Veluwe, the Netherlands has a steadily descending height difference towards the coast. This is different in Thailand, which does not make the problem any easier. On the contrary.
The same thing that happened in Thailand happened a few years ago in North Limburg and on the Polish-German border and every year in the Moselle valley. Also this year in June-July part of Germany was flooded. And they do have that knowledge there, and they do have the expertise, and they do have a good water manager and a ministry of water management. So it doesn't seem like an easy matter to me? Maybe your course will bring a solution? rebel
Dear rebel.
,
The problem, in my opinion, is that Thai waterologists still don't understand that water eventually finds a way. Down. So by constructing dykes around areas you may keep those areas dry, but you aggravate the situation in the unprotected areas surrounding those dykes. After all, the water has to go somewhere.
We have already seen that in the months of July and August, no water was discharged from the dams. There had been relatively little rain and for fear that the reservoirs would not have enough water for irrigation in the dry months, the taps were kept closed. That seems logical.
It no longer makes sense when you look at the long-term average of rainfall, and then find out that most rain falls in August and September. That has been the case for decades. If water had been discharged in the months of June and July from the dams in the rivers that could easily drain it at that time, we wouldn't have been in shit again. Because the amount of rain that has fallen so far is exactly on the long-term average.
This was my crash course “Hydrology for Dummies”
Thank you.
Hi Cor. Thank you. If we are now on average, I don't understand why the press is making such a fuss about the current situation. In your opinion, the floods we have now are what we could expect? That's a very strange point of view. Tell that yourself to those Thais who are now rowing home in an old bathtub.
Of course the Thais could have drained all the dams in August. Imagine if it hadn't rained as much as it does now? What then please?. Where did you get the water you needed today?. Because the word says it; the average is the point between min and max. So it could also have been minimal rain? And where does that prophet live who has been dead for months and knows for sure how much it will eventually rain? Because you have to let go of your quantity calculation on that.
And what about the rivers that don't run through a dam?. How are we going to manage the rainwater there? Fact and fact is that no country has the possibility to influence nature. And no country is taking any measures on suspicion. I think a crash course in realistic thinking is better. And you just read it. rebel
Have read all the articles again and, at Gringo's request, paid special attention to part 3. Based on the recommendations of the Dutch water experts, I would like to make the following comments:
– there is a great deal of emphasis on technical measures when it comes to water management and flood prevention. In fact, no attention is paid to the agricultural issue, the aspect of spatial planning and only a little bit to the environmental issue. Communication is also ignored. Perhaps not so surprising for water techies;
– not a word is devoted to the problems of translating measures and systems that apply to the Netherlands and Great Britain (and which appear to work there) to the Thai situation. I would call that a lack of cultural sensitivity. Can this also be substantiated because I spoke to one of these Dutch experts;
– We don't have a water ministry in the Netherlands either, so why should we now suddenly have to in Thailand? Rijkswaterstaat is sometimes referred to as a state within a state, but history has shown that solutions to problems that are partly made by people cannot be solved with technology alone, but that behavioral and mentality changes are also necessary. That is also a matter of breath.
Coordination of solving the water problem in Thailand will not get better or worse by establishing a Ministry of Water. Not really good news...
The Thai politicians and their entourage of grabbers and pickpockets are completely uninterested in the situation in their country. If their feet get wet, then everything moves to another still dry place and the population: the lzrs And the Thai voter sees everything until his hand is filled with 20-0-100 THB to vote for someone. Find one Thai who can see further in time than until prung nie (tomorrow) ! My experience since 1977 as an employee, doing business with them and having lived there since 1993 and now doing business as my own boss: They don't give a damn.
In 1942 things flooded in 1995, and completely in 2011, because people were too short-sighted and focused on their own pockets to ensure proper water drainage and dikes. But that situation applies to SE Asia.
Too lazy, too stupid and too corrupt.As long as a complete mentality change does not take place, nothing will change.
Hello Harry. I agree with you, although I would phrase it differently. I also do business in Thailand. It's always -wanni-but never -preungni-. Exactly as you said, it is not a water problem of today, but has been around for a long time. All of SE Asia incl. India (Ganges) has a problem with that. The Kambodschaner even hoped that things would flood. As a result, they were the only country to harvest 3x rice per year.
If you deliberately built your house in a flood area, you shouldn't grumble if you have to take the boat home. I also don't think that we are still experiencing a change in mentality. That may not be necessary. The Thais can live with it. Apparently some expats have a problem with it?. If the corruption in Thailand stops tomorrow, the country will be bankrupt the day after tomorrow. I myself built on a slight hill with a large pond for fish breeding. That's why I think it's fine if it rains again. rebel
"The Thais can live with it." Really? Tell that to the more than 800 relatives of the Thais who lost their lives during the floods of 2011. Or to the thousands who suffer from stress, waterborne diseases, etc. during these floods. Hundreds of thousands who lost their trade. But in the meantime, they can all live with that just fine. According to you.
Dear Hans,
A good consultant not only immerses himself in the subject matter, but also in the feasibility of his advice. In this case, advisers must take into account the fact that Thailand is different from the Netherlands. This could have led to putting their advice into perspective or indicating the conditions under which their advice works. I have been in regular contact with one of them and even arranged a guest lecture for him at a university in Bangkok, not mine. Much of what I told him about Thailand was completely new. It is difficult for me – as a layman – to judge the quality of the technical advice.