The Government is accelerating integrated water resource management to urgently ease water-related problems, such as floods, drought, and water quality for consumption, on a sustainable basis.

Speaking after chairing a meeting to discuss water resource management on 5 August 2024, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin cited water resource management as an urgent issue that needed to be improved to effectively solve problems faced by the people.

The meeting assigned the Office of the National Water Resources to work out a three-year plan on integrated water resource management and approved five major projects concerning an increase in water supply for consumption, the improvement of water distribution, the development of rainfed farmland, the development of flood zones, and the protection of communities from floods.

The Prime Minister said that water allocation in Thailand mainly focuses on the use of water of consumption, maintaining the ecological system, crop cultivation, industry.

He pointed out that high volumes of water are needed in the industrial sector. Thailand must ensure that there will be no shortage of water, as it has attracted many investors to invest more in various industries in the country. 

The Prime Minister stated that Thailand’s economy would move forward, if the country handled water resource management with great efficiency. He is confident that the integrated plan on water resource management will be able to tackle water problems more effectively in the future. 

Moreover, water resources are also important to Thailand’s agriculture and food security. All relevant agencies need to work together in an integrated manner to deal with water resource management and keep a close watch on flood-risk areas. 

The Prime Minister also instructed the Royal Irrigation Department to accelerate the dredging of the Su-ngai Kolok River in Narathiwat Province. The river has become shallow and must be dredged to prevent flooding. The project will be supervised by a joint Thai-Malaysian committee.