Mega-Irrigation:Who benefits?

[GWR]

Report with MCOT news video:
http://enews.mcot.net/clip.php?nid=7191
MCOT news video on an irrigation canal tunnel in Kalasin Province that is near completion:
http://enews.mcot.net/clip.php?nid=7368

[Mod: my experience with MCOT news videos is that they have a tendency to stop and revert to the beginning half way through. You may have to press PLAY more than once to see the complete video.]

Govt plan to divert water from Mekong River draws support and opposition

Drought is long standing problem in the northeastern region and it has not been solved by any government. The current administration is planning to reintroduce the idea to divert water from the Mekong River into the region. It’s a controversial issue as some people question if the project is worth investing an enormous budget.

A recent seminar on the plan to divert the river water was held by the Water and Quality of Life Foundation and local media. The seminar raised the issue that there should be no cost of production, and so residents should not have to pay for the water. Other important questions included where the water would be stored and how to divert water from the Mekong to other rivers in the northeastern region. The government needed to conduct thorough studies and public participation was required.

“The water level at each location of the diversion line showed the area in the northeastern region sloped downward to the south and the east. Gravity will help the water flow into the diversion tunnel. We don’t need water pumps. It’s not worth using pumps when the gasoline costs over 30 baht per litre," said Dr. Chongkon Pimwapee, Foundation Committee.

The Water and Quality of Life Foundation conducted an initial study on the planned water diversion to tackle drought in the northeastern provinces eight years ago. The academics found the project was possible and proposed the result of the study to the then government, but the project was ignored. Academics however think the northeastern region doesn’t have a problem with water shortage, but rather a problem with water management. Water diversion from the Mekong River would not be worthwhile.

“According to the data from similar projects in Africa and South America, costs of water diversion through tunnels is high. A government needs a big budget to finance such a project,” said Asst. Prof. Yanyong Inmuang Mahasarakham University.

Environmental problems such as saline soil and river bank erosion were issues of concern. Drought was one of those problems which could possibly be resolved without spending a large sum of money as there was plenty of groundwater in the northeastern region, academics argued.

Last Update : 2008-03-02, 2008-03-02 (GMT+7:00)

[GWR]

Mekong River diversion won't harm environment, says water official

BANGKOK, June 9 (TNA) - Thailand's plan to divert water from the Mekong River to irrigate farmlands in the country's arid Northeast will not harm the environment, according to a senior Thai government water official.

Water Resources Department director-general Siripong Hangsapruek said the plan will, on the contrary, help the country's farmers and prevent floods.

He added that of the total of 55 million rais of farmland in the northeast, only five million have access to irrigation systems. While the demand for water supply stands at 10 billion cubic metres per year, Thailand 's reservoirs only have the capacity to hold half that amount.

To secure adequate water supply, the Department has come up with several options, with the strongest possibility of opting to divert the waters along the courses of the Nam-nguem, Huayluang, Lampao, and Chee rivers. He said the department is prepared to implement this plan as soon as the cabinet gives a formal go-ahead.

The plan envisages that in the first phase, water will be diverted from the Huay Luang catchment source in Nongkhai province into the Chee river to stock water at the Lampao reservoir in Kalasin province. The plan will require a budget of Bt32 billion to be conducted over four years.

In the second phase, needing negotiation with the Lao PDR to divert water from the mouth of Nam Nguem river via an underground water tunnel beneath the Mekong to Huay Luang and feeding onward with the earlier phase. This portion of the project will take another four years to implement and a budget of Bt44 billion.

With these in place, farmers will have enough water for agriculture and this will also be a boon to flood prevention, he said.

The director-general also gave assurances that the diversion will avoid areas with saline soil and it will not affect the course of the Mekong River. (TNA)

General News : Last Update : 18:48:40 9 June 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4679

[GWR]

MR Pridiyathorn doesn't appear to be an irrigation expert as such. Note that a lot of his listed projects seem to have definite industrial & tourism angle:

Govt irrigation projects long overdue and welcome
By MR Pridiyathorn Devakula
Published on July 7, 2008
Currently, there appears to be a lot of troublesome news and people are attacking the performance of various ministers in Parliament.

However, I noticed a piece of very good news announced in the Bangkok Post on June 26. It was about the water-development projects that will be implemented this year to generate additional water supplies in the areas where they are needed. These projects would also help expand cultivated areas by millions of rai utilising available irrigation facilities.

These are the projects that will help mobilise the existing supply of water for use before letting it out into the sea. I was informed a few years ago by friends at the National Economic and Social Development Board that out of the total rainfall, rain-fed runoff was as high as 40 per cent (this figure may have changed since, but I believe it would not have changed by much). This indicates that with proper management, we actually do have enough supply of water to serve our current demands.

Three projects that will be implemented this year are good examples of proper water management - using it before it is let into the sea. They are:

1) The construction of a large water-pumping station to pump water from the area behind the Rajaprapa Dam in Surat Thani and put it into the irrigation system in the nearby area for agricultural use before releasing it into the sea. Currently, the amount of water from this area going straight to the sea is as high as 28.3 billion litres per year.

2) The installation of a 45.7-kilometre pipeline to divert water from Chanthaburi to Rayong in order to serve the demand for fresh water in Rayong's industrial area, which faces a water shortage in dry season.

3) The water-diversion project of the Chao Phya basin to the Bang Phra reservoir in Chon Buri to increase the water supply to serve the needs of manufacturers, the hotel industry as well as other tourist places and households, especially in dry season.

I am glad that the government has sped up these projects, as they will help alleviate water-shortage problems for industrial, agricultural and household use effectively by making better use of the existing water supply from the usual amount of rainfall.

Reading this news reminded me of another piece of good news announced last month. It was the approval of large water-diversion projects, which will take a longer time to complete, at the following locations:

1) A project to divert excess water from Yuam reservoir in Mae Hong Son to fill in the reservoir in Bhumibol Dam for power generation and agricultural use.

2) A project to divert water from the Tha Sae Dam to the Bang Saphan area in Prachuap Khiri Khan to serve the needs of manufacturing industries in the area.

3) A project to divert water from the area behind Nam Nguem Dam in Laos through an underground water tunnel beneath the Mekong river to Huay Luang and Lam Pao in Thailand. The water supply passing through the generator is typically released into the Mekong River. This project would keep that supply of water for agricultural use in Thailand before it is released into the river.

4) A project to divert water from Pak Chom weir to the Ubolratana reservoir. In the rainy season, the water supply in the Pak Chom weir rises beyond its capacity and causes flooding before going into the Mekong River without being used. This excess water supply would be diverted to fill in the Ubolratana reservoir where it could be put to better use before flowing into the Mekong River.

All the above-mentioned projects deserve praise, which should go to all parties involved: the government officials for their knowledge of the sources of excess water that could feed areas with water shortages and the channels to do this most effectively, and the natural resources and environment minister together with the government for appreciating the value of these projects and pushing them out. These projects should have been implemented years ago, but they were delayed because a certain government overlooked the ready know-how of government officials and tried to come up with new ideas by itself, while the following government simply kept the status quo without making any progressive moves.

Besides, I have learned that the Irrigation Department has prepared many more projects, both medium-sized and small, to increase the water supply in remote areas upcountry for agricultural as well as household use. These projects are very important since they will help expand the cultivated area. At the moment, there are still idle pieces of land, which do not have access to an adequate supply of water. The expansion of irrigation to reach these pieces of idle land will help increase areas for growing rice, which is crucial now since some rice fields are giving way to fields growing rubber plants, tapioca, sugar cane due to the higher prices these crops can fetch. These additional areas for growing rice would help ensure that the overall area devoted to growing rice will not diminish. I believe that the natural resources and environment minister and the government are seriously looking at all these projects. I would urge them to speed up and implement these good projects without hesitation.

Until next Monday.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/07/opinion/opinion_30077435.php

[GWR]

ENVIRONMENT-THAILAND: River Diversion Plans For Whose Benefit?
By Kornpan Winwong - Newsmekong*

BANGKOK, Aug 4 (IPS) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s plans to divert water from rivers in neighbouring Laos to help feed agricultural production faces stiff opposition from activists, who argue the ambitious projects could threaten the environment and local people’s lives.

Since taking office on Feb. 6. this year, Samak has repeatedly stated that his People Power Party government intends to push ahead with the water diversion projects -- worth around 500 billion baht (14.97 billion US dollars) --and that they should be completed within the government’s four-year term.

At least eight water diversion projects are planned, not including the Prime Minister’s ambitious scheme to divert water from the Mekong River to help farmers in the north-east.

The Thai cabinet approved two of these schemes in July.

The first is the 43.8 billion baht (1.31 billion dollar) scheme to divert water from Mae Yuam River next to the Salween River, flowing from Burma into the Mae Hong Son province, to be stored at the Bhumibhol Dam in Thailand’s Tak province.

The second scheme involves diverting water from Laos’ Nam Ngum River to store at the Lam Pao Dam in the north-east Thai province of Udon Thani, worth some 76.7 billion baht (2.3 billion dollars).

Environmentalists have doubts over the efficiency of the projects, especially the two most recently approved schemes.

They fear that the government could be spending taxpayers’ money ineffectively and are urging the government to carefully conduct the environmental impact assessments before starting work on the projects.

Pianporn Deetes of the Chiang Mai-based Living River Siam, a non-governmental organisation in northern Thailand working on the environment, said she believes the construction of the Yuam-Bhumibhol water diversion project could threaten the lives of farmers and damage the environment.

She said that under the scheme, water from the northern river will be diverted for a distance of some 200 kilometres to the Bhumibhol dam’s reservoir through a 62-km complex of underground tunnels and irrigation canals.

The construction of these would destroy 11,500 rai (1.854 hectares) of forest and adversely impact the health of local people, according to critics.

"People in at least 14 villages will be adversely affected by the construction, including the vibration and noise from the explosions and the release of chemical substances in natural water sources and soil,’’ Pianporn said.

Villagers living near the Salween River and National Park, linked with the Mae Yuam River, would suffer shortages of water in the dry season if water from the Mae Yuam River was diverted, she said.

The diversion of water from Mae Yuam River may also cause changes in ecological systems, adversely affecting water plants and fish migration.

Around 30,000 Karen refugees from Burma living in refugee camps near the Mae Yuam River would also be affected, she added.

She said the government did not publicly disclose any information or hold any public meetings to discuss the project’s environmental impact assessment, before going ahead with it.

"I do not understand why Prime Minister Samak wanted to dust off the water diversion project despite the fact that it has yet to be approved by the national environmental committee first,’’ Pianporn added.

Lertsak Khamkhongsak, coordinator of the Udon Thani-based Ecological and Cultural Change Studies Group, said the government’s rush to revive the water management project could be a political ploy to attract votes from the people, especially those in the north and the north-east. The two regions are strongholds of the ruling People Power Party, which is believed to be a nominee of the now-dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party headed by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"Who will benefit from the proposed water diversion projects? Are they the people or the politicians?’’ said Lertsak.

He said that the past experience in north-east Thailand has shown that the promotion and implementation of large-scale water management schemes tend to benefit agribusinesses and not small-scale farmers.

As there are concerns that the project to divert water from Laos’ Nam Ngum dam could cause flooding problems in some areas, the government should first ask the local people whether the project was what they really needed, Lertsak maintained.

"People's participation in any decision-making is also required for such megaprojects, as it could have an immense impact on their lives," he said.

He called on the government to halt work on the Nam Ngum diversion project until the completion of environmental and social impact studies and mitigation plans.

Lertsak said environmental and grassroots groups nationwide would hold a nationwide campaign to educate the public about the controversial scheme.

Government spokesman Police Lt Gen Wichienchote Sukchoterat said the government always respected the people’s participation. It really wants the project to help develop the country and the quality of people’s living especially those in drought-prone areas, he said.

He denied that the project was aimed at attracting votes or popular support.

(*This story was written for the Imaging Our Mekong Programme coordinated by IPS Asia-Pacific)

(END/2008)
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43425