Mae Wong dam EHIA 'deeply flawed'

The environmental health impact assessment for the Mae Wong Dam is too flawed for the project to get approved, environmentalists told an academic forum yesterday. 

Somruthai Tasaduak, of the Water Resource Engineering Department at Kasetsart University, said the EHIA clearly showed key information about the project was missing.

“There are no details on how to direct water to communities and how to ensure that the water volume will be adequate for those who live downstream,” he said. Somruthai said information on construction was also missing. 

At the forum, hosted by the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, speakers presented information on why they believed the Royal Irrigation Department project should not be given the green light. 

It is understood the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning will submit the EHIA report to the Independent Commission on Environment and Health on November 19 for consideration. 

Speaking at the forum, Dr Songtham Suksawang, an adviser to the chief of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, warned that if the dam went ahead without a proper study on its possible environmental impact the country might lose one of its most abundant forest zones.

 

Unesco voices concerns

He said the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s world heritage unit had written to the DNP to express concerns about the dam.

Somphot Duangchantrasiri – who heads the Khao Nang Ram wildlife research unit and took part in a study on wildlife diversity in the area where the dam would be built – revealed that there had been hundreds of wildlife species, including three newly discovered or very rare breeds, in the forest zone that would be submerged if the dam went ahead.

The breeds are the Giant Asian River Frog, Ichthyopis youngorum, and Pseudocalotes kakhiensis. 

“Ichthyopis youngorum, for example, were last seen in Thailand in 1960,” he said. 

Petch Manopawitr, deputy director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Southeast Asia, said the zone was among the last few places in Thailand with tigers. 

The Mae Wong National Park covers parts of Kamphaeng Phet and Nakhon Sawan. The Mae Wong Dam would be constructed in the park.

Conservationists have been trying to get the national park world heritage status as part of the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries. Songtham said the wildlife diversity study revealed information greatly different from what was contained in the EHIA prepared by a consulting firm hired by the Royal Irrigation Department. 

“Our study found that the area chosen for the Mae Wong Dam project is the natural habitat of rare wildlife species,” Somphot said.

Songtham said previously that the DNP had been told that the Mae Wong forest did not have significant value.