'Floodwater diversion channel may never be built'

The government’s plan to build a flood-diversion channel on both sides of the Chao Phraya River may never be completed because it would require tens of thousands of residents to be relocated, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) said yesterday.
And if the project does not get completed within a five-year deadline, the government may end up being sued by contractors for compensation – if they are unable to complete the job due to strong opposition by local residents.
The government is expected to finalise bid winners after talks on project prices and costs were completed last week.
During the first phase, the government will have to pay Bt35 billion to Bt40 billion in advance to the contractors.
While advance payment is part of the process, the government could lose this money if environmental and health impact assessments for projects fail to be approved because of a lack of participation by local residents, EIT president Suwat Chaopreecha told the press yesterday.
“We want the government to reveal the contracts it is signing with eligible bidders so people would know details such as how much money is being spent on each project,” he said.
The EIT also expressed concerns about the potential of the huge scheme, which will be divided into nine modules, especially the flood-diversion channel under the A5 module worth Bt153 billion.
Suwattana Jitraladakorn, chair of the EIT’s water-resources engineering sub-panel, the 300-kilometre flood-diversion channel on the west of the Chao Phraya, starting in Kamphaeng Phet province and ending in Samut Sakhon and Phetchaburi provinces, will require the expropriation of large amounts of land.
The EIT estimates that more than 10,000 households will need to be relocated, which would cost the government a huge amount in compensation.
He also expressed concern about the impact the project would have on the level of water in the Chao Phraya, especially during the dry season, because the channel will divert about 1,200 cubic metres of water per second from the Ping River.
The Ping is one of the four main tributaries that flow into the Chao Phraya.

FLOODS MAY WORSEN
Water diversion from the Ping during the rainy season will also increase the amount of water in the Ta Chin and Mae Khlong Rivers, which will inundate areas located along these two rivers.
In a related development, an environmental network led by the Seub Nakasathien Foundation presented a petition to the government yesterday demanding that the water project be suspended.
The network wants the government to follow the Constitution, which requires the authorities to conduct environmental and health impact assessments and open the door to public participation before giving a green light to construction.
“The Cabinet must take responsibility for any damage if they insist on going ahead with the plan without conducting any assessments or listening to local people,” said Hannarong Yaowalers, who chairs the Foundation for Integrated Water Management.
The Royal Irrigation Department is planning to hold a public event in Nakhon Pathom on Thursday to inform locals about a study on the flood-diversion channel west of the Chao Phraya. Three consultant companies conducted the study.