BANGKOK, 16 April 2012 -The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has assigned the Department of Royal Irrigation to study geographical characteristics in areas most likely to cause flooding in the upper part of the country to pave the way for the construction of Maewong dam.
According to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Mr. Theera Wongsamut, the Cabinet has given a green light to the Ministry to proceed with the proposed construction of Mae-Wong dam to prevent future deluge.
According to him, the study has indicated that the run-off also comes from Sa-krae-krang basin, which is located in the upper part of Thailand where 3 rivers, the Maewong, the Khlongpho and the Huaytapsaloam, converge. The amount of water flowing into the basin triggered the massive run-off and caused severe flooding in lower lands in the central region last year.
The dam construction is aimed at preventing another flooding. It will be financially supported under the budgets anticipated to be allocated each year from 2012-2020. The basin is said to have over 5,000 kilometer square area in total to hold the water. The average amount of water measured yearly is 1.3 billion cubic meters. Its perimeter covers areas in Nakornsawan, Kamphangpet, Uthaithani and several other provinces in the lower part of the Chaopraya River, which includes Bangkok and its vicinity.
The Cabinet approved the proposal on April 10th and endorsed a 13.2 billion baht budget for the construction of the dam in Nakornsawan. According to the report, it will take approximately 8 years to complete.
