BANGKOK, Nov 20 (Asia Water Wire) – While relief operations are underway for the inundated provinces of central Thailand, debate goes on as to how government policies have impacted on rural farmers living in flood-affected areas.

   In mid-October, in a bid to avert flooding in Bangkok following heavy rains, Royal Irrigation officials began diverting an overflow from the Chao Phraya river to the rice fields in the central provinces of Thailand. Among these, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Suphan Buri are said to be the worst-hit. According to ‘The Nation’, 1.38 million rai (2.2 billion square kilometres) of land have been sacrificed.

   Such action has been condemned as ‘political’ by Ajan Bantorn, a sociologist with the Assembly for the Poor, a Bangkok-based non-government organisation which champions the rights of the rural poor – the mountain people, farmers and fisherfolk alike.

   “The farmers have received much of the burden, while the elite in Bangkok have been spared,” he told the Asia Water Wire. “Traditionally, the poor in Thailand have been ignored by government, which is a fundamental fault of Thai society.”

   According to Bantorn, the rural folks were not given the benefit of proper consultations by the military-backed government as far as compensation is concerned. “This decision has been imposed on them. They (the government) should negotiate at the beginning (of the floods), not at the end.”

   Newspaper reports also quoted farmers as saying that the Royal Irrigation Department failed to “keep its promise to divert only small amounts of water at a time to the paddies.” The department, meanwhile, defended its actions by stating that the excess water was due to “the collapse of a dyke in Chao Phraya in Sing Buri Province.”

   On Nov. 9, 2006, after weeks of protracted wrangling, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives finally agreed to the farmers’ demands. The ‘Bangkok Post’ reported that the government is prepared to give 2,500 baht (68 U.S. dollars) per rai of rice paddy. They will also give 1,000 baht (27 dollars) per rai of corn farm and 1,600 baht (44 dollars) per mango tree. One rai is equal to 0.16 hectare or 0.0016 square kilometre.

   For farmers whose paddies were damaged by natural means will be given 400 baht (11 dollars) per rai. Fish farms damaged by the floods will be awarded 3,000 baht (82 dollars) per rai.

   However, the figures will still be sent to the Cabinet for approval.

   “I expected that. The government has a good attitude (towards negotiations), but performance-wise they are reluctant (to provide compensation),” said Bantorn.

   “Objectively speaking, they are giving in (to the farmers’ demands), but you have to ask if there’s a hidden agenda here,” he declared, declining to elaborate further.

   Thierry Facon, senior water management officer of the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, observed that the issue of (government-approved) flooding is not specific to Thailand, citing that it has been carried out in Europe and the United States.

   “Obviously, there is a need to consult all the relevant parties involved, and agree on proper compensation promised (to the farmers),” he continued. “There are two issues here. The first is the issue of previous informed consent (from the farmers). The second is the protection of the academics and infrastructure of the capital – that is, the interest of the value of crops versus the value of the academics.”

   Although covering only 30 percent of Thailand’s total land area, 40 percent of the nation’s population lives along the Chao Phraya River Basin, generating two-thirds of Thailand’s GDP. However, the region’s economic power is concentrated in the Bangkok Greater Metropolitan Area, which accounts for 78 percent of the GDP from the Basin area.

   “In theory, the rice paddies are not such a bad idea as a buffer against floods, as they are situated on floodplains which have historically been flooded over the centuries, long before there was any farming. It makes much more (economic) sense to allow damage to crops, which are lower in value, and compensate the farmers accordingly, than to compensate for the damage caused by floods in the capital,” explained Facon.

   In its report, the Red Cross named 35 provinces in the north, northeast and central region of Thailand as being badly inundated by the floods due to monsoon rains. Among the affected provinces include Kampangpetch, Pitsanulok, Sukotai, Pijit, Nakornsawan, Chainart, Utaithani, Singburi, AngTang, Ayuthaya, Lopburi, Patumthani, Nontaburi, Chacherngsao, Cholburi, Prajinburi, Jantaburi, Khonkaen, Phangna & Bangkok.

   The government estimates that rice paddies in the central region of the country, particularly those in the Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and Suphan Buri provinces, will remain under water at least until the end of the year.

   Heavy flooding brought about by the onset of the monsoon rains in late May has killed over 100 people in Thailand. In all, the recent floodings threaten to cost the nation more than 17 billion baht (462.8 million dollars) in damages, Bank of Thailand governor-designate Tarisa Watanagase was quoted by the press as saying. The World Health Organisation reported that nearly 600,000 people have been affected by flood-related diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and cholera.

   His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has ordered the use of his extensive private estate in Ayutthaya for the diversion of excess floodwaters. The Royal Family is also involved in relief aid such as delivering food, medical supplies and the construction of toilet boats.

   Facon noted that flooding will always be something to contend with in Thailand.

   “You can combine all the dams and all the canals (the Thai government has built), but whatever level of flooding you protect against with infrastructure, there will always be a flood of a higher rate – there’s always a limit of what you can do with infrastructure,” he said.

   “It’s a matter of land-zoning to keep valuable infrastructure out of flood-plains, and adequate compensation for those affected – the floods might even be good for the farmers because of increased fertility (caused by the floods), and good for the tax payers, who pay less to fix infrastructure damage,” Facon concluded.

   “Either that, or they could try to build more sandbags,” he added jokingly.

   On the other hand, Bantorn had a less humourous view of the matter. “The drainage system in Thailand can be (roughly) divided into three parts, the north and north-east parts (of the country), the central part, and then we have the area surrounding Bangkok, which is the most developed,” Bantorn explained. “Bangkok is (not only) the largest in terms of water management, but historically, Bangkok has always been saved first.”

   “If the canal system (throughout the country) were a prepared system, perhaps the flooding would be less severe,” Bantorn argued. “A new canal system is a priority.” (END/AWW/GG/LC/211106)