HM to be briefed about water management plans

During the twohour meeting beginning at 5.30pm, a number of shortterm solutions and eight longterm solutions, whose details are still undisclosed, will be explained to His Majesty. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will lead a number of academics serving on both panels during the briefing, with Sumej Tantivejkul, secretarygeneral of Chaipattana Foundation, also present.
The two key speakers will be Anont Sanitwong na Ayutthaya and Royol Jitdon, who serve on the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management (SCWRM) and the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF). At yesterday’s meeting of SCWRM, Yingluck was reportedly unhappy with updates on many projects, which she said had shown little progress.
Peetiphong Phuengbun na Ayutthaya, an SCWRM member, said yesterday’s discussion topics included prioritisation of projects, four of which must be completed by June; and a water volume pattern to determine how solutions should be adopted to minimise changes in flooding.
When asked how Bt350 billion earmarked for the projects would be spent, Peetiphong said no details were to be discussed until various projects were prioritised on their importance and progress.
Speaking of projects to be completed by June, he said they included:
nmanagement of how 2 million rai would be used as catchment areas;
nconstruction of embankment walls to prevent urban or important areas from being flooded;
ndredging of waterways and building of the mechanisms to redirect them;
nfloodways to accommodate and redirect main currents.
As the Finance Ministry plans to borrow the first tranche of Bt90 billion to finance flood prevention, some foreign investors are reportedly nervous about renewed flood threats, and are questioning the professional qualifications of those handling the flood prevention.
Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt NaRanong said the Finance Ministry will borrow about Bt 90 billion to fund floodbarrier construction and catchment areas following the Constitution Court’s ruling on the Bt350 billion borrowing decree. “ We’ll not borrow Bt350 billion at one go – but we’ll borrow in several lots, according to progress of the water management projects,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Post forum yesterday.
He said the government must build a concrete water barrier along rivers to replace sandbag barriers, costing about Bt30 billion. As the rainy season begins in May or June, the government must find catchment areas to temporarily hold rainwater at a cost of about Bt 60 billion, he said. Part of the expense will be compensation for people affected by the projects. Farmers are being advised to grow short lifespan crops.
So far, the government has earmarked 1.5 million rai of land for holding water from a target of 2 million rai, according to Kittiratt.
He said the Bt350billion fund, plus some current fiscalyear spending, will be adequate to deal with flood disaster prevention. He said governments in the past usually spent about Bt20 billion for water management annually, but the current government will not need to earmark water management funds under the budget bill for fiscal 2013.
“However, we will focus on reducing the budget deficit in 2013 as we plan to run a budget deficit of Bt300 billion – down from a deficit of Bt400 billion – this current fiscal year,” said Kittiratt, referring to the expenditure plan of Bt2.4 trillion for next fiscal year beginning in October.
He said the government would save about Bt 80 billion for the next fiscal year as it need not earmark Bt20 billion for water management or Bt60 billion for interest on the debt of the Financial Institutions Development Fund as the debt will be transferred to the central bank.
He said the government does not need to plan in advance when the budget will be balanced, but it must manage public spending to match economic conditions.