Country Water Action: Thailand
Disputes Beneath the Surface of Bang Pakong
By Floyd Whaley
External Relations Specialist, ADB
LIFE IN THE RIVER: READING BETWEEN THE LINES
The Bang Pakong River cuts a scenic path to the Gulf of Thailand. Long-tail boats carrying tourists zip past luxury homes partially hidden by dense vegetation along the banks. Downstream, farmers work quietly near the riverside, while factories can be seen looming in the distance. Birds and other creatures dart from the mangroves.
But simmering beneath the surface of this often-idyllic river are longstanding disputes over how the waters of the Bang Pakong should be used. The vast waterway is home to heavy industry, large communities, tourist operators, several different types of farmers and a remarkable diversity of wildlife.
"The situation in the river basin is extraordinarily complex," says Suaydee Chamroon, Chairman of the Bang Pakong River Basin Sub-Committee. "There are many groups involved and everyone shares some of the blame for the problems of the river."
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FINDING THE SOURCE OF CONFLICT
The Bang Pakong river basin is home to a government-supported industrial zone that hosts such heavy industries as a tannery, a brewery, a distillery, and a paper factory. Many of the companies discharge wastewater into the river, according to Chamroon.
"The wastewater is often discharged in the rainy season," says Chamroon. "It gets into the ground water and kills fish, snails, snakes and other river species. Sometimes dead fish can be seen floating on the river."
Industrial representatives say they treat their wastewater before discharging it, and that the companies provide vital economic benefits for the area.
Chamroon acknowledges that the problem is not completely one-sided. Some of the communities living along the Bang Pakong that complain about industrial pollution are themselves dumping garbage and untreated sewage into the river.
"It is difficult to determine where the pollution comes from, particularly in the rainy season," he says. "There is no way to monitor the exact source of the pollution."
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RIFTS ARE COMMON ALONG THE RIVER
In other areas of the river, conflicts have erupted into violence over a completely separate problem. Shrimp farmers use brackish waters in their area while agricultural farmers need fresh water. In the basin areas near the ocean, where both types of water can be found, farmers have fought over the issue.
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UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION THROUGH PUBLIC AWARENESS
"We need to increase people's awareness of the situation in the river basin so we can address these problems," says Chamroon. "The different users of the river have to come together and find a solution."
To begin the process, the Bang Pakong River Basin Sub-Committee, as well as Thailand's Department of Water Resources, has received a $50,000 grant from the Asian Development Bank to initiate a dialogue among users of the river. The Bang Pakong Dialogue Initiative seeks to help the parties involved find solutions to the river's problems.
Chamroon's group is launching a public awareness campaign about the river that is targeting about two million people who live in the basin. Industries along the river, as well as government officials with regulatory authority in the area, are also involved in the dialogue, he said.
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SMALLER COMMUNITIES TAKE CONTROL
The community-based approach is part of a national Integrated Water Resources Management program underway in Thailand, according to officials. Countries worldwide have been making similar attempts since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development called for all nations to adopt such plans by 2005.
"Rivers are still being managed top-down in some parts of the country," says Chamroon. "But things are changing. People who live near the rivers are having a greater say in river management. The Bang Pakong is an opportunity to show it can work."
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