World Bank expert foresees worse water-related disasters for Thailand

Speaking at the “Workshop on Lower Chao Phraya River Flood Risk Management and Mitigation” last month, he highlighted the impact water-related disasters will have on Thailand’s economic growth and investment.

“Globally, around 27 billion cubic metres of water is reserved, 50 times more than required by the global population,” he said. “However, the population will grow further, so water shortage will still exist and eventually become a big problem.”

Surasee Kittimonthon, secretary-general of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), said the office has devised a 20-year water-management plan to address flood and drought challenges.

“Thailand is an important global food producer,” he said, adding that to maintain this stature, effective collaboration between government agencies and communities was necessary.

Chayan Muangsong, ONWR deputy secretary-general, acknowledged the increasing frequency and intensity of floods in the Chao Phraya River Basin and proposed the following measures:

• Changing cultivation methods in the plains to mitigate flooding

• Preparing evacuation areas and bridges

• Boosting water drainage options

• Avoiding the release of floodwaters into flood-prone areas

“If no climate change adaption measures are taken, Thailand may face a worse flooding crisis than in 2011,” he said.

According to the European Union's Index for Risk Management released in June, Thailand was ranked 9th among countries most at risk of flooding.

The ranking was based on the 2011 flood crisis, which claimed 680 lives and caused economic damages of around 1.42 trillion baht or 12.6% of the gross domestic product.