New highways, towns planned to combat floods

HONOLULU, HAWAII : A new river, new highways, new railways and new towns are among the government's long-term flood prevention measures, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said.

Deputy Prime Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong went to Hawaii as head of the Thai delegation for Sunday's Apec summit.

He explained the plan to multinational business leaders who expressed concerns that any repeat of the heavy flooding in Thailand will cause huge damage again.

He said leaders and executives from multinational firms, including Google, Microsoft, AT&T, Cagill, Boeing and GE, expressed concerns over Thailand's worst flooding for half a century at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO forum in Hawaii.

They asked Thai delegates whether heavy floods will happen again in the near future.

This year's floods submerged seven industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani and still pose a threat to two industrial estates in Bangkok Bangchan and Lat Krabang.

Mr Kittiratt, who attended the Apec meeting on behalf of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, said he told the business leaders the government would improve the water management system and would not allow such a disaster to occur on such a scale again.

The government has planned investment in water resource management, to prevent heavy floods, particularly in densely populated communities and business districts.

Initially, the development would include digging a new river to act as a flood way leading from the Central Plains to the sea.

A dual track railway or a highway would also be developed along the river.

New town development and new city planning are also in the pipeline.

Kittiratt: Assures big business

Mr Kittiratt chairs the national strategic committee for water resources management.

Details of how the investment was funded would depend on a joint decision between the committee for reconstruction and development, chaired by Virabongsa Ramangkura, and the Finance Ministry.

"The government has decided to seek help from Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] for technical consultancy in water resource management, particularly in the Chao Phraya basin," he said.

The JICA conducted a water management study on the Chao Phraya basin in 2000 as well as the Crown Property Bureau.

The study results of the two organizations would be applied for the development. Mr Kittiratt said the government is considering sources of funding for the mega-project development for flood prevention.

There are several suitable sources available, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the JICA.

Meanwhile, the United States, which hosted the Apec Ministers' Meeting, tried to push the "promoting green growth" issue.

This is aimed at encouraging Apec member nations to promote environmentally friendly goods and service markets.

Among proposed measures is a tax reduction scheme for environmentally friendly goods and services, such as solar cell development and energy-saving services.

Mr Kittiratt also said Thailand has been invited to join the Trans Pacific Partnership FTA which has nine members, led by the US.