Lampang villagers back building of reservoirs

Over 3,000 villagers yesterday attended the public forum held at Lampang Rajabhat University to discuss the impact of the three reservoirs. They demanded that the government push forward with its plans for their construction, arguing that the three projects would help resolve flood and drought problems, which had plagued the province in the past several years. The projects include Mae Teep reservoir, Mae On reservoir in Ngao district, and Huay Pong Phak reservoir in Thoen district.

Tambon Mae On’s subdistrict headman Chalong Sirimangkalakul said plans to construct the reservoirs had been shelved for the past 20 years, but it was now time for their construction to go ahead. He estimated that more than 10,000 rai of agricultural land would benefit from the scheme. 

“People will no longer need to look elsewhere to make a living if these three reservoirs are built,” he said.

Phillip Surinwong, a villager from Ban Mae On, said he agreed with the government’s proposed plan for the reservoirs, as villagers would be able to irrigate their land, thus ensuring the future of the region’s agricultural industry. 

He added that he was not worried about the impact of the reservoirs on the environment, as each project was located in an area of degraded forest. 

Another villager, Ple Wongkheow, from Thoen district, said he also agreed with the government’s proposal to construct the reservoirs, but he wanted the government to give him the exact locations. 

Puan Yotsok, a villager from Thoen district, said he wanted the government to come up with measures to compensate villagers directly affected by the construction.

According to observations made by The Nation’s reporters, a number of villagers faced problems related to the public forum’s registration process, with the names of some failing to indicate that they were participating in the forum. 

A number of villagers also registered to attend the forum, even though they were not directly affected by the reservoirs, so that they could collect the Bt400 travel allowance provided to them. 

Meanwhile, villagers who attended a public forum in Uthai Thani province were divided on whether the proposed reservoir project in their region should go ahead.