Ditch dams, river networks tell PM

People’s networks from river basins in the North, Northeast and South submitted an open letter yesterday calling for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her deputy Plodprasop Suraswadi to cancel the Bt350-billion flood management projects because they lacked public participation and contravene the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the committee to select winners of water mega-projects, chaired by PM’s Office permanent secretary Thongthong Chantarangsu, began talks on bids and costs yesterday with Loxley Joint Venture and Summit SUT Joint Venture. A resident of Tambon Sa Eiab of Song district in Phrae, Sayan Khamneung, representing a network from the far North, said they disagreed with the state mega-projects, as they had not involved affected people from the beginning, despite the fact they would affect local people greatly. 

Sayan slammed the government for acting contrary to people’s interests, saying the Water and Flood Management Commission’s procedure went against the Constitution and lacked studies on possible impacts, project analysis, strategic planning, a master plan and investment analysis to back them up. 

He said the commission changed regulations to enable foreign companies with project concessions to be in charge of everything from impact assessments to design and construction, plus expropriating lands and finding space for evacuees – which could lead to conflicts. The group vowed to do everything to protect resources, human rights and communities if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, the committee to select the water management mega-projects bid winners, chaired by Thongthong, yesterday started on three days of negotiations over construction costs. 

They met Loxley Joint Venture, which won a technical round for the Bt4-billion A6/B4 Module, in the morning, then met Summit SUT Joint Venture, which won the technical round for the B2 Module worth Bt14 billion, in the afternoon. 

They are due to meet with officials from ITD-Power China JV today (June 12) and K-Water tomorrow (June 13). 

If negotiations with these firms fail to cut costs, the committee will call runners-up to price negotiations, to ensure the projects materialise in five years and are worthy of an outlay of taxpayers’ money.

The list of bid winners should be known by late Thursday and submitted to Cabinet by Monday June 18, Thongthong said. 

Meanwhile, PM’s Office Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisal affirmed that project contracts would be drawn up separately according to each module, as people had suggested. 

He said Thongthong would sign the contracts with private groups. If an agreement on the price could not be reached with groups with the highest bid scores – and the loan deadline on June 30 was missed – projects would be funded via normal annual budgets.

The Department of Water Resources and Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law organised a public forum yesterday in Rayong’s Muang district to gather opinions for the draft law on water resources. Senior DWR official Pattama Panpracha said the law would be submitted to Cabinet in September. 

Rayong Governor Wichit Chatpaisit said the draft would be a master law for water issues, such as floods, droughts, water disputes and pollution, and unify problem-solving by state agencies. 

He said it would also include public participation because some problem-solving projects lacked this when crises severely affected communities.