JICA commits Bt203m for protection of one estate

Industry Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said yesterday that the ministry would talk with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) about selecting the most suitable estate for the pilot project.
The seven industrial parks that were inundated – Saha Rattana Nakorn, Hi-Tech, Bangpa-in, Nava Nakorn, Factory Land, Rojana and Bangkadi – would be the candidates.
JICA led by its vice president Arai Izumi met with the minister to discuss assistance for infrastructure to protect against massive flooding in the future.
Wannarat said the type of dyke or flood-protection system that JICA would construct was not yet finalised.
Izumi said JICA possessed expertise in infrastructure construction and technology for industrial estates, so it would make recommendations to the Industry Ministry to construct a facility in the pilot project that would keep out flood waters. Or, if the Thai government wants funding for this project, JICA is willing to provide such assistance.
The specific timing for the project as well as its budget was still unclear and the choice of estate was awaiting the Industry Ministry’s decision, he said.
This project is separate from the first one. JICA has already |committed to designing a flood-protection system, such as a floodway, to protect Thailand from severe flooding.
Prasobsilp Chotimongkhol, deputy governor of the IEAT, said the authority would consider the most appropriate industrial estate to be included in the pilot project, but it was quite difficult, as all seven inundated estates are run by companies. The IEAT only operates some of them, such as Bangpa-in, Hi-Tech and Saha Rattana Nakorn, but most belong to companies.
“We must have good reasons to support our decision when we choose any industrial estate to get this chance,” he said.