Mega-project will 'only open the door to corruption'

“We have been given little information about this ambitious plan, so we cannot say we agree or disagree with it,” Wassana Assaranurak, a representative of the chamber of commerce, said.
She was speaking at a public forum on the scheme held by the Office of the Prime Minister at Nakhon Sawan Rajabhat University.
More than 3,000 locals attended the forum to voice their opinions and concerns about the four key installations – namely the Mae Wong Dam, flood-diversion channel, city protection construction and water-retention areas.
“It seems like the government does not want a real public hearing as it has shortened the process and decided not to provide information to people before they attend the forum,” Wassana said. “We are worried that if people are not given true information before attending the hearing, this loophole will lead to corruption.”
Moreover, she said, most of the projects under the mega-scheme were not new ones created especially to help solve the flood and drought problems in the area.
Suthi Kongkla, 48, a resident of the Ban Sa Kaew in Lat Yao district, said that even though his village had been suffering from severe floods and drought for a long time, he did not agree with the government’s decision to build a huge dam like the Mae Wong. Instead, he said, the authorities could build several small reservoirs, which villagers could tap for irrigation.
Krai Arphon, 63, a villager from Ban Nok Khan also in Lat Yao, said he backed the dam project because he believed it would resolve the flood problems in the area and help with irrigation. He said local villagers had called on the government to build the dam for more than 40 years now, but nothing had been done.

Another villager, who chose to remain unnamed, said he agreed with the plan to build a flood-diversion channel to drain water from the North into the sea, but as this channel would pass through Nakhon Sawan province, he wanted to know if people would be compensated fairly for land used for this.
About 1,500 rai in his village will be expropriated for the channel.
Meanwhile, Montri Supalak from Chumsaeng district, said although locals would benefit from the water-retention plan, they wanted fair compensation for land expropriated as well.
The Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC) organised a “Water for Life” exhibition at the public forum to explain the nine modules under the mega-project.
WFMC secretary-general Suphot Tovichakchaikul said everybody’s opinion would be collected and studied before the project is designed. After that, he said, the WFMC would conduct environmental and health-impact assessments, and hold another public hearing.
But the commission expects to sign construction contracts by early next year, he said.