PR events won't prevent a deluge like last year's

The recently concluded exhibition “Determined to Work and Management Water Resources for the Public” was a great publicity event put on by the government. However, it did little to convince the public that the administration has been effective in carrying out a workable and efficient programme of water management and flood prevention.

The exhibition at Central Plaza Lat Phrao featured colourful displays and fancy presentations, but it did little to boost the public’s confidence in government readiness to prevent flooding or its ability to effectively manage the nation’s water resources.

It is easy to hold a successful publicity event. But long-term water management and flood prevention requires a well-planned strategy to cushion against the adverse effects of climate change, erratic weather patterns and damage to the environment caused by human activity. Last year around 600 people died because of the massive flooding.

Unfortunately the government has yet to prove to the public that it has such a smart plan to prevent another similar catastrophe. This is despite the fact that it is the government’s responsibility to come up with thorough and concrete plans to ensure water security, mitigate the damage from flooding, improve the quality of water and protect the ecosystems and the environment that provide it. 

Over the past few weeks, what the public has mostly heard is criticism of the government’s so-called flood prevention programme. We have not been given many details about the overall plan and the rationale behind each individual project that comprises it, except for the amount of Bt350 billion the government plans to spend on it. 

The government should have come up with the details of the projects first before trumpeting the amount of money it plans to spend. 

One of the loudest critics has been Pramote Maiklad, a well-respected former Irrigation Department director-general and a member of the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management. Pramote questions whether the government’s Bt350-billion price tag stemmed from a thorough feasibility study. 

For instance, the government earlier this year approved the construction of Mae Wong Dam, stating that it would help prevent flooding, even though the project’s environmental-impact study has failed to merit approval at the National Environment Board. Environmentalists have raised concerns over possible negative effects on the environment if construction goes ahead. The proposed site is part of the Mae Wong National Park, which is the habitat of many wild animals, including tigers.

The government cites the flood-prevention programme as a reason to go ahead with the plan, even though it should have carried out a thorough study and communicated with all stakeholders, taking into account their views.

The assignment of a flood-prevention committee after the floods last year was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The committee was set up to look into options and proposals mooted during the deluge, such as city planning and water beltways to prevent future flooding.

However the committee has hardly met. Indeed, it is unclear whether the committee still exists, since the government has drawn little from the knowledge of the water experts who were its members. The government has nonetheless chosen to go ahead with certain projects it was determined to implement anyway, such as the Mae Wong Dam, by citing last year’s disaster as a reason for emergency approval.

Although Thailand this year is unlikely to face flooding on the same scale as last year – mainly because of the lighter rainfall so far – we still need a solid water-management strategy to prepare for a repeat of the problem. The plan must embrace bright ideas from all parties, in the best interests of the people, and the concerns of all sides must be addressed. Publicity events held at five-star hotels do not provide the kind of confidence we need on this vital issue.