Higher education minister orders GISTDA, HII to tackle recurring floods
The higher education minister has tasked GISTDA and HII with applying space and water data technology to develop lasting solutions to Ayutthaya’s chronic floods.
- The Minister of Higher Education has tasked two agencies under its purview, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) and the Hydro–Informatics Institute (HII), with tackling recurring floods.
- These agencies are expected to apply their expertise in data, science, and advanced technology to help plan long-term, sustainable flood mitigation solutions.
- The directive was issued during a visit to the flood-affected Ayutthaya province, a region that frequently floods due to its geography as a major water-receiving area.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday (27 September) visited flood-affected communities in Ayutthaya province, accompanied by Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul.
The delegation, joined by provincial governor Niwat Rungsakorn, Hydro–Informatics Institute (HII) director Roiboon Rasmitet, and Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) director Pakorn Apaphant, met with residents to assess the situation, hear their concerns, and provide relief.
At Wat Khok Hiran in Bang Ban district, the group distributed 1,000 survival kits containing essential food, supplies and medicine, and provided financial assistance to the family of a flood victim. The team later visited Bang Chanee subdistrict to deliver aid directly to households cut off by floodwaters.
Anutin said he was deeply concerned for Ayutthaya residents, noting the province faces recurring floods almost every year because of its location as a major water-receiving area from the upper Chao Phraya River. Its low-lying terrain and a narrow “bottleneck” section of the river slow water drainage to the sea, he explained, leading to frequent overflows.
The prime minister stressed that the government recognised the hardship and was working on both immediate relief and long-term solutions. He said the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) had been tasked with leading central flood management policy, in close coordination with the Higher Education Ministry to deploy advanced technologies to mitigate future disasters.
Anutin explained that he was joined by Minister Surasak to highlight the ministry’s broader role beyond higher education. “The ministry also oversees agencies in science, research, technology and advanced innovation, which can be applied effectively to reduce the impact of natural disasters. Today, representatives from the HII and GISTDA joined us to work with the province on using data and technology to plan long-term flood solutions,” he said.
Ayutthaya governor Niwat Rungsakorn urged the government to improve the speed, accuracy and modernity of flood warning systems so that residents can prepare in time. He also called for consideration of compensation for the “loss of opportunity” that many locals face, as their livelihoods are disrupted for three to four months each year while they absorb floodwaters.
Niwat pressed for faster financial aid payments to help families cope with lost income and rising expenses, as well as revisions to compensation rules to better match actual damages. Most importantly, he appealed for accelerated implementation of sustainable flood prevention measures, including the nine projects in the Lower Chao Phraya Flood Mitigation Plan proposed by the Royal Irrigation Department, which he said could provide real solutions if pushed forward without delay.
