Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University's "Preventive Flooding Center" has highlighted lessons learned from seven model communities to promote the development of Water Smart Communities. This initiative aims to empower local residents to better understand water resources and the risks they face, leveraging data and knowledge to plan for flood prevention and preparedness. By doing so, the initiative seeks to transform residents from "flood victims" into "water managers." Yoschanan emphasizes the importance of making water management a national agenda, advocating for a shift in investment from traditional flood management to strategies that benefit disaster prevention, urban development, and the economy, under the concept of a Water Economy.
According to Thai News Agency, the Water Resilience Center, established by the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University in collaboration with various partners, including Siam Cement Public Company Limited (SCG), serves as a central platform to connect information, science, technology, and collaboration across all sectors. The center aims to transition water management from post-disaster remediation to proactive preparedness and prevention. The 3rd Water Resilience Forum, themed 'WATER SMART COMMUNITIES - People Change Water, Water Changes the Future,' was recently held at the Faculty of Engineering to extract lessons from affected areas and promote water management practices that enable communities to understand risks, prepare for disasters, and build upon Water Resilience to develop a Water Economy.
Professor Dr. Surakiat Sathirathai, President of Chulalongkorn University, pointed out that natural disaster risks are becoming more severe and complex. He highlighted the 2011 mega-flood, which caused approximately 1.43 trillion baht in damage, and projected that a 2025 flood in southern Thailand, particularly in Hat Yai, could cause around 25 billion baht in damage. These figures demonstrate that waiting for disasters before taking action is more costly than investing in preventative measures. The World Bank estimates that another flood of similar scale to 2011 in 2030 could result in Thailand losing almost 10% of its GDP.
Professor Dr. Yotsanun Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, stated that Thailand must transition from reactive disaster management to a water economy. This involves designing water investments for multifaceted uses, including disaster prevention, urban development, and economic value generation. He cited Japan as an example, where water retention areas are transformed into parks or tourist attractions during normal times and used for water storage or evacuation during disasters.
Effective water management involves community engagement, data sharing between agencies, and addressing root causes such as protecting watershed forests and coping with climate change. Elevating water management to a "national agenda" was proposed, integrating resources and budgets across multiple agencies. The forum's proposals will be considered by the government, allowing relevant agencies to apply the guidelines.
Elementary school student representatives from Wat Lamphaya School in Nakhon Pathom Province shared their experiences from the 'River School' project. This initiative allows young people to learn about the Tha Chin River ecosystem, practice as 'river detectives,' conduct basic water quality checks, and monitor waste and wastewater issues to foster youth participation in community waterway care.
Representatives from seven exemplary Water Smart Communities shared their diverse approaches tailored to local contexts: Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai focuses on upstream resource management; Phraek Nam Daeng in Samut Songkhram resolves freshwater-saltwater conflicts using local data and wisdom; Ta Lang Nai in Sa Kaeo uses data for water management planning; and the 9-Good Sufficiency Economy Learning Center in Buriram extends water management to agriculture, generating income for the elderly. Nakhon Pathom uses flood lessons to develop water management and agricultural practices; Khlong Prem Prachakorn in Bangkok links water management with housing development; and Song Wat in Bangkok adapts to living with water while leveraging community identity for a creative economy.
For the expansion of this concept to all provinces, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wisanu Trassompol, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Dr. Royboon Rasmithes, Director of the Water Resources Information Institute, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Pongsak Suthinon, Head of the Department of Water Resources Engineering, emphasized the importance of understanding local contexts. They advocate for connecting data, science, technology, infrastructure, and community power to shift from reactive to proactive water management.
Associate Professor Dr. Wittaya Wannasupoprasit, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University and Chairman of the Flood Prevention Center, stated that water resilience should be seen as an investment for the future and the foundation of the water economy. This approach enables communities and cities to coexist wisely with water, using water management to enhance security, improve quality of life, and foster sustainable economic growth.