Planned Sa Kaew reservoir could cause floods, residents fear
Residents of a Sa Kaew village staged a rally Sunday night against plans to build a reservoir for drinking water, fearing it could result in flooding.
About 100 residents of Ban Bo Nang Sing in Tambon Huay Jode, Wattana Nakhon district, were angry that their village head and the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand appeared to be ignoring the objections they raised at public hearings on June 22 and July 12.
They rallied at Wat Bo Nang Sing, where the reservoir is to be built, to sign a petition to be submitted to Sa Kaew’s governor.
Erawan Phasuk, a leader of the group, said soil removed for the planned 20-rai reservoir would be used to create its barrier walls, but would curtail rainwater drainage, possibly resulting in flooding.
She also pointed out that the site is a former cemetery and thus inappropriate for storing drinking water.
Thongthos Maksakhon, deputy chief of the Sa Kaew provincial administrative organisation, claimed that Army Engineering Corps soldiers had tried to coerce the villagers into endorsing the project.
