What's being done to stop another massive deluge?

The rainy season is upon us, but the government has yet to feel the urgency, even though last year’s massive flood disaster is still fresh in the memory.

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), the largest grouping of local industrialists, earlier this year expressed its disappointment over the progress of the government’s flood-prevention programme. During a recent seminar organised by Bangchak Petroleum and our sister newspaper Krungthep Turakij, FTI vice-president Tanit Sorat said, “We have doubts about the government’s measures to prevent flooding this year because many construction works still face delays, especially the dykes to prevent floodwater inundating industrial parks.”

Some scientists predict that drought, not floods, will pose a more serious problem for Thailand this year. But this should not be an excuse for the government to buy more time. The comment from the private sector is not surprising. In fact, it just adds to the calls for the government to take firm and quick action.

But it seems that the sense of urgency has been lost, compared to the sentiment of only a few months ago, when a series of flood-prevention projects were announced. Many experts were enthusiastic about offering their views on how to solve the problem. But after the water subsided at the end of last year, the enthusiasm from the government seemed to die down.

The projects have not been re-prioritised in response to the topography of Thailand. The government and its agencies are still focused on road construction. Over the past 12 months, water-related projects have seen only one-tenth of the investment put into road construction. 

Royol Chitdon, director of the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, says the government needs to spend more on construction to prevent floods. The maintenance regime for waterways is not as active as inland infrastructure.

The private sector believes the government has lost the race to prevent another flooding crisis. Thailand managed to quickly recover from the last disaster largely because of cooperation between the private sector and civil-society groups. Companies and volunteers helped to reduce the impact on flood victims by providing emergency support and post-flood relief measures. Many companies have provided task forces to help clean up homes and businesses damaged by the floodwater. Many take good care of their employees.

The assistance measures from the government, meanwhile, have turned out to be inefficient because they focus more on cash give-aways. These have been a source of controversy, as is evident in the recent protest in Pathum Thani province.

While the medium-term prevention measures are yet to be finalised, the long-term measures have yet to materialise. During last autumn’s crisis, experts were talking about how new property developments had obstructed natural waterways. All seemed to agree that the best solution for Thailand is to co-exist with water. There was talk about the construction of floodways to allow excess water from the northern reservoirs to flow to the sea. But none of that has materialised. Little has been done to restore public confidence. Few people feel the government has put in place the necessary measures to prevent more flooding.

In fact, the government needs to prepare a more integrated platform to cope with various natural disasters and take concrete steps to put a plan of action into place. After all, Thailand is prone to various natural disasters, not only flooding but also tsunamis and earthquakes. It’s time that the government took this issue seriously in order to restore the confidence of the public and investors alike.