PM starts Nakhon Ratchasima visit by paying homage to Thao Suranari
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha started his two-day visit to Nakhon Ratchasima by paying homage to a monument to Korat’s historic heroine, Thao Suranari, on Monday morning before meeting with local people, provincial governors, representatives of the private sector and farmers.
Water management, economic-area development and rail-project development are among the main areas of focus for the premier during the visit.
Prayut’s trip to Thailand’s largest province covered field observation of a reservoir and a sufficiency-economy village on Monday, before the mobile Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Irrigation management was the most discussed topic on his first day, following weeks of severe flooding in several northeastern provinces.
Local administrators proposed additional construction of minor reservoirs and water gates in order to solve the problem of overflowing water and support local agriculture.
Farmers, meanwhile, said that agricultural planning and a water-management plan should be synchronised in order to help facilitate crop fields located outside the irrigation area.
Last month, reservoirs behind five dams in Nakhon Ratchasima were found to be storing water at only 46 per cent of overall capacity, lagging well short of the expected level of 70 per cent, despite continual rain and thunderstorms in the province.
Monday’s meeting also touched on local economic development, such as the management of an immigration checkpoint, a dual-track rail construction project and support for small and medium-sized enterprises in line with the Eastern Economic Corridor project.
