Kamphaeng Phet, 13 August 2019 (NNT) – A Deputy Minister of Transport has visited Kamphaeng Phet and Sukhothai provinces to follow up on the excavation of the Ping and Mae Mok rivers to solve erosion issues which have forced some riverside villagers to relocate.
Deputy Minister of Transport Athirat Ratanaset, along with the Marine Department’s Director General Somsak Pommuang, have visited Wang Kaem subdistrict, Khlong Khlung district, Kamphaeng Phet, to inspect excavation works in the Ping River, as requested by the Wang Kaem subdistrict administrative organization to address the accumulation of sand dregs at river banks.
The excavation works are being carried out by Channel Development and Maintenance Office 2.
The deputy transport minister then travelled to Thep Nakhon subdistrict to observe riverbank erosian along a 4.5 kilometer section of the Ping River, affecting 5-6 households. The erosion has recently reached an inland public road. The local administration has requested the restoration of the failed riverbank with sand accumulated on the opposite side as a makeshift measure, followed by the construction of a riprap to prevent the issue long-term. The deputy transport minister has accepted the request which will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting in the near future.
He then led officials to visit Thung Saliam district in Sukhothai province to oversee government office operations and hold talks on the restoration of the Mae Mok river flow.
A section of Mae Mok river passing through Thung Saliam district has become deteriorated and shallow. An excavation project has been launched to allow the general public to make use of water from the river for consumption and farming, and the river itself for fisheries, tourism, and the transportation of people and goods.
