BANGKOK, June 12- Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle a draft of terms of reference (TOR) for hiring Thai and foreign specialists to propose plans and operate the comprehensive national water management system, according to Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi.
Mr Plodprasop, as chairman of the Water Resources Management and Flood Control Committee, said after the weekly Cabinet meeting that the drafted TOR for selecting and hiring appropriate Thai and foreign water management consultancies were approved in principle by the Cabinet under a Bt300-plus billion budget.
Project construction was expected to begin early next year.
After approval, the government will announce detailed TOR to consultant companies within one month, Mr Plodprasop explained. Interested consultancies or specialists must submit their conceptual plans for the whole water management system to the government within three months after its announcement.
Meanwhile, the selection process of the three most suitable companies, open to both domestic and international firms, will last for one month, he added.
The three selected consultancies will work together to design the water management system, the minister said. The companies must specialise in several related fields including water management, irrigation, disaster warning system, information and technology and law.
