The statement shows His Majesty’ s interest in irrigation works since he was young. After ascending to the Throne in 1952, His Majesty has visited many irrigation projects throughout the country especially in the remote and isolated areas, beyond the government’s development plan. Being the head of state, His Majesty has shown his tireless efforts in helping the government to develop water resources for the use of the poor who faces water shortage problem, so that the water would be available for their basic needs, sufficient for cultivation and hopefully better their living to well-being conditions.
In doing so, His Majesty the King has initiatives to implement various types of project aimed at helping people in rural areas by emphasizing on their participation to the projects for further sustainable self-help and team work. The Project are called “Irrigation Projects Initiated by His Majesty the King”
Royal Initiatives
The Solution to Water Shortage Problem
The Solution to Flood Problem
The Solution to Waste Water
Works of Irrigation Projects Initiated by His Majesty the King
Royal Intiatives
During each visit to his people in rural areas, His Majesty always gives his initiative for water resource development for the benefits of the people in the area. His initiative are derived partly from his own consideration and partly from the request of the people themselves.
Such initiatives would then be implemented starting from preliminary studies and planning undertaken by his majesty himself. The project would then be convoyed to government agencies concerned for feasibility studies and project planning for further construction.
Project planning maps handed by H.M. the King
Information inquired from local people
Project Planning maps Handed by H.M. the King
Prior to each visit to his people in rural areas, His Majesty would always study the topographical conditions, natural water resource, as well as socio-economic conditions of the area and other villages nearby and make a plan of a water resource development project using 1:50,000 scale map and aerial photographs. So often in that His Majesty handed over the map with his own draft to RID officials to study and prepare technical reports for this further consideration.
Information Inquired from Administrative Heads of Sub-district and Village and their villagers
During his visit, His Majesty always carries a map while making inquires from administrative heads of sub-district and village and people seeking his audience as well as from elderly villagers who had witnessed changes in the environmental conditions. The questions are about how the people earn their living, whether the rainfall or natural water resources is adequate for cultivation and so forth. His Majesty would thoroughly study the data and information obtained from the people and should he determine that there be some possibility and suitability for the project, which could be implemented within one year with low capital investment but with large benefits, or for the improvement of the existing earthll dam and weir, he would suggest the RID, in the presence of the presence of the people, to urgently carry out the construction.
Solution to water shortage problem
Her Majesty the Queen gave a speech on the occasion of Her Majesty’s Birthday on 11 August 1991 at Dusidalai Hall of Chitralada Villa, a section of which is as follows:
His Majesty realizes the importance of water. He always travels with irrigation experts to solve water shortage problem for villagers. With such problem, the farmers cannot get good yield from farming and become poorer. Some had to tell their land and so lost their last property. I am delighted that the Government also realizes this fact, and have tried every method to help farmers to solve the water problem.
Water development works initiated by His Majesty which are convoyed to concerned agencies for implementation can be categorized as follows:
Reservoir
Weir
Swamp Dredging
Pond
Reservoir
Reservoir is a water source arisen from the construction of a dam across a valley or highland for impounding a large amount of water, thus becomes water sources of various scales. The impounded water can be distributed through pipes for the cultivation of rice, field crops and vegetables as well as for cattle raising and domestic consumption. Moreover, the reservoir itself not only serves as a fish and shrimp cultural ground but also help preventing and mitigating flood hazard for the area downstream.
North
More Ngat Sombunchon reservoir, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province
Mae Tam Reservoir, Muang Phayao District, Phayao Province
Northeast
Huai Diak Reservoir, Muang Sakon Nakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon Province
Huai Sampat reservoir, Nongwua So, Udon Thani Province
Central
Khlong Sai Thong Reservoir, Muang Nakhon Nayok District, Nakhon Nayok Province
Huai Sab Takhian Reservoir, Chaibadan District, Lop Buri Province
South
Klai Ban Reservoir, Muang Narathowat district, Narathiwat Province
Khlong Lao Reservoir, Hat Yai District, Song Khla Province
Weir
If the topographical condition were not suitable for reservoir construction, weir construction across waterways would be considered. Although it benefits cultivation only during an excessive flow period, water retained upstream will be sufficient for alleviating the people’ trouble in domestic consumption during the dry season.
The weir construction works are mostly in the South, i.e. Lkapo Weir, Narathiwat Province: Ban Lae Weir, Yala Province : Khlong Mai Siap Weir, Nakon Si Thammarat Province while some are in the North, i.e. Pa Tong and Luang To Phare Weir, Mae Hong Son Province, and in the Nirtheast, i.e. Lam Nam Choen Diversion Dam, Chum Phae district, Khon Kaen Province, etc.
Swamp Dreadging
Swamp Dredging Work
At present, natural water resources such as creeks, swamps and canals which were used to be available for cultivation and domestic consumption become shallow and are encroached upon in such a manner the water become insufficient for community consumption throughout a year. In these regards, His Majesty suggested that the area with swamps could make the use of its swamps to retain excessive water of the wet season for consumption in the dry season.
When swamps became shallow and could not be used as in the past, and some parts of the area were encroached upon, difficulties arising from community’s water shortage would occur. His Majesty consequently assigned concerned agencies to rehabilitate and dredge natural swamps in many areas such as in Sawang Dean Din and Nakae District and Sri Songkhram District of Nakhon Phanom Province as well as in some province of the central region.
Farm Pond
Pond is a water resource made for storing rainwater, runoff, or water seeping through soil by excavating an area to the length, width and depth required for expected storage volume. Mostly with small capacity, ponds are constructed in the areas where natural watercourses are unavailable or with topographical conditions unsuitable for the construction of reservoirs or other retaining structures. This type of water resource development at farm level has highly attracted His Majesty’s interest since due to the constraints in topographical, socio-economic and environmental condition of most drought-effected areas has discouraged them from other type of water resource development except this farm pond.
Therefore farm ponds are royally initiated and promoted to the farmer throughout the country with farm ponds, excessive water in the wet season would be reserved for consumption and integrated farming in the dry season. His Majesty recommends that this farm pong work is the “New Theory” in the solution to water shortage for agriculture. This “New Theory” was firstly undertaken in a 2.58 ha area of the Chai Phattana foundation, near Mongkhom Chai Phattana Temple, Muang Saraburi District of Saraburu Province and later extended to the farm lands of more than 100 farmers in Khao Wond District of Kalasin Province. At Present, Due to satisfactory outcome of the theory, each farmer has enough water for integrated farming, resulting in good income for this family.
Solution to Flood Problem
Flood is a natural phenomenon resulting from a high intensity and continuity of rainfall over an area until the runoff into streams or rivers is markedly higher than usual. If any section of such streams or rivers cannot bear that excessive flow. the water will burst their both banks or inundate a broad area beyond.
In case of big flood over community or cultivated areas which may cause damages to people properties and crops as well as buildings, it would be called “flood disaster” such as “flood disaster in the central region that often occurred in the past.
Therefore, Flood Protection and Alleviation Project royally initiated by His Majesty the king was established with the objectives to solve, prevent and alleviate the high rising of water in canals or rivers from overflowing an area and causing damages to cultivation or communities. To achieve such objectives, appropriate methods are considered according to each region’s conditions and with no impacts to environment and nature and with less but worth investment. The significant methods of flood protection and alleviation are as follows:
Dam Construction Works.
Dike Construction Works
Weir Construction Works
Drainage Works
Dam Construction Works
His Majesty the King has introduced his initiatives to the concerned agencies to solve flood problem in the cultivated and community area by constructing storage dams in various regions. One of the large scale storage dams initiated by His Majesty that has been proved to efficiently solve and alleviate flood problem is the mad Ngat Somboonchon Dam which was constructed across Mae Ngat stream at Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province with the storage capacity of approximately 265 mcm. Though this dam benefits mainly in irrigation, it can also alleviate flood which always occurred in cultivated area on both bank of the Mae nGat stream and Mae Ping River down to Chiang Mai town.
Pasak Jolasid storage Dam initiated by His Majesty the King was constructed across the Pasak River at Nong Bua Sub-district, Phatthana Nikhom District, Lop Buri Province with the storage capacity of approximately 785 mcm. Complete and starting to retain in 1997, the dam becomes a water resource for irrigation purpose as well as flood control alleviation in the area of Saraburi, Ayutthaya and Bangkok Provinces.
Embankment Wall Construction Works
Flood protection by constructing an embankment wall is the method preventing water not to flow over the banks to floods the area and cause directly damage. It is like reinforcing the edge of the bank higher in order to increase cross-section of stream to be big enough for draining plenty of water from such area with no damages from flood.
RID constructed embankment walls according to His Majesty in various regions: South- Embankment walls of Muno Project initiated by His Majesty the king, Narathiwat Province and of Pi Leng Project initiated by His Majesty the King, etc., as well as many embankment walls at different area in bangkok which is order the bangkok and vicinity Flood Protection Project initiated by His Majesty the King. At present these embankment walls can protect water from the Chao Phraya River and canel around Bangkok at the north and the East not to flood Bnagkok town and economic zone area as well.
Construction of Diversion Channels
Channels construction or new canal excavation connecting with the stream which faces flood problem is to diverse all or some part of water to be overflow the bnak, out ot that stream and then push and then push it flow to the new channel to other streams or drain into the sea, asapporpriate.
His Majesty the King gave an initiative about flood solution by channel construction to RID in 1974 (B.E.2517) to consider and solve water problem from the Kolok River, Which borders Thai-Malaysia. In the wet season, high water level often overflows into villagers’ farmland in Sungai Kolok District, Narathiwat Province and damages many thousand rais of them every year. To solve this problem, channel excavation and water distribution from the Kolok River to the sea during the peak period. RID excavated Muno canal in response to His Majesty the King in 1975 (B.E.2518) with the width of bed canal of 20 m, length of 15.60 km. Separating from the Kolok River at Muno Sub-district, Sungui Kolok District. It distributes water from the Kolok River while the water level is high enough to flood cultivated area and drains it into the sea. This make water level in the Kolok River lower and this canal also receive water from the Kolok River to store for cultivation.
Driainage Works
His Majesty the King is much concerned about flood problem e.g. floods in the area of Bangkok and vicinity occurs almost every year. Therefore, he intends to solve and alleviate flood problem in Bangkok and vicinity. The concerned agencies such as the Royal Irrigation Department, Supreme Command Headquarters, the office of Accelerated Rural Development of Highways and the State Railway of Thailand cooperates in studying the methodology of solution in detail and then constructed flood protection and drainage system, in response to His Majesty’s initiative. From the implementation, it can alleviate flood problem and drain water from the area of Bangkok and vicinity as needed by improving, dredging and eradication weeds in the drainage canal within the drainage area, in order that plenty of water from the area can be drained to the main river or the sea easily. In addition, there is also a tail regular with pumping station for speeding up water drainage from the areas to be minimized in volume.
The important drainage project initiated by His Majesty the King is:
Keam Ling Project initiated by His Majesty the King
Keam Ling Project initiated by His Majesty the King
In the part of Royal Irrigation Department’s Responsibilities
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Map of Keam Ling Project showing Embankment Walls and Regulator1
Detailed Map of Keam Ling 2
Keam Ling Project initiated by His Majesty the King is a drainage work from upper area through the canal southwards to a large storage canal near seashore. When the sea level is lower than water level in the canal, the water in such canal is drained through a regulator by gravity and pumped out in order to let the water in the canal be at minimized level. This will help water from upper canal flow into the storage canal at all time. On the contrary, if the sea level is higher than water level in the canal, the regulator is closed in order not to let water flow return…
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