PDMO secures World Bank loan and grant for dolphin conservation
Thailand’s PDMO secures a 4.55bn-baht World Bank loan and US$4m grant for two southern bridges and a 2024–2028 Irrawaddy dolphin conservation plan.
The Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) has secured a loan of 4.55 billion baht and a grant of 130 million baht for the construction of two southern bridges and a project to conserve dolphins in Songkhla.
The PDMO announced that the World Bank had approved the loan and grant following negotiations last month.
Jindarat Viriyataveekul, director of the PDMO under the Finance Ministry, said the loan and grant were approved by the World Bank under the Thailand Resilient Transport Connectivity and Irrawaddy Dolphin Conservation Project (TRIP).
Last month, Jindarat led representatives from several relevant government agencies to hold talks with World Bank representatives on the project.
Agencies that sent representatives included the Department of Rural Roads, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Department of Fisheries, the Office of National Resources and Environment Policy and Planning, the Office of the Attorney-General and the Office of the Council of State.
Following the talks, Jindarat said the World Bank approved the loan for building two bridges – a bridge over Songkhla Lake and a bridge to connect to Koh Lanta.
She said the Songkhla Lake bridge has a projected construction cost of 4.7 billion baht and the Koh Lanta bridge of 1.8 billion baht. She added that the World Bank had agreed to provide a loan of 4.55 billion baht for the construction of the two bridges, with the remaining cost to come from the national budget. The loan will come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
The US$4 million, or roughly 130 million baht, grant from the PROBLUE ocean conservation fund is specifically dedicated to Irrawaddy dolphin conservation efforts.
The goal of the grant is not only to mitigate the environmental impact of the new bridge construction across Songkhla Lake, but also to significantly strengthen the government’s capacity to implement a Dolphin Conservation Plan (DCP) for 2024–2028 and ultimately halt the declining trend in the dolphin population.
The conservation efforts are comprehensive and include:
- implementing and enforcing effective dolphin protection measures and fishing regulations;
- providing incentives and alternative livelihoods for local fishing communities;
- conducting biological and ecological research and monitoring; and
- community engagement and outreach.
Jindarat added that construction of the Songkhla Lake bridge would reduce travel distance by around 80 kilometres and cut travel time by about two hours.
The Songkhla Lake bridge would also promote tourism and boost logistics and transportation.
The bridge linking Koh Lanta in Krabi would reduce travel time to the island, connect it to the wider transport network and enhance the quality of life for local people.
