Bangkok: Dr. Ae and Khunying Kalaya waded through floodwaters in Sena District to listen to villagers’ concerns. They lamented that rice fields have become flooded fields and crop prices have fallen in line with costs. Today, Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, President of the Thai Move Forward Party, along with Mr. Suchatvee, the party’s leader, and the party’s executive committee, visited the area to listen to flooding concerns from residents of Sam Tum Subdistrict, Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Mr. Chawalit Chanthararat, a committee member and water expert, and a research team from the Water Management Project, brought the TEM2Go surveying device, an innovative real-time underground survey device that measures electromagnetic fields and performs underground data to identify sand cones for accurate water management planning.
According to Thai News Agency, Khunying Kalaya and Mr. Suchatvee listened to villagers’ requests for assistance due to the prolonged flooding, which has resulted in rice prices dropping to 5,000-6,000 baht per ton. They then boarded a boat to deliver essential supplies to the villagers.
Mr. Suchatvee revealed that the flooding in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya has left villagers heartbroken, as rice fields have turned into a sea. Meanwhile, rice production and crop prices have been declining, with sales reaching only 5,000-6,000 baht per ton. This, coupled with operating costs and debt, means flooding is affecting livelihoods, the economy, and lives. The party’s visit today, accompanied by experts, has informed villagers that the water level will not recede by the end of the year due to rising sea levels later this month. Draining water into the Chao Phraya River will be difficult, similar to draining water into the Tha Chin River. Consequently, people in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Suphan Buri provinces will be affected.
The Thai Kao Mai Party therefore aims to represent the people in pushing for sustainable change and solutions to flooding, drought, and water shortages. This includes pushing for legislation, water management using technology, and pushing for a budget for investment in flood prevention infrastructure. This budget should not be spent on sandbags or inadequate relief.
Over the past decade, millions of baht have been spent, but nothing has changed. The money has been lost to sandbags as an emergency solution, and nothing has changed. Today, the Thai Move Forward Party doesn’t want to see this kind of politics. It wants to see politics that creates change. The changes happening around the world are driven by technology in every aspect. Therefore, today, we must use technology to seriously and sustainably address flooding. This will greatly reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Furthermore, the Thai Kao Mai Party is preparing to propose a draft Water Management Act using technology under a single policy. This will ensure unified forecasting, planning, and budget allocation, eliminating overlap and competition for funds as in the past. The party will also allocate funds for key water infrastructure projects, such as the management of the Pa Sak River basin, the Tha Chin River, and the upstream areas, as well as a sea-level rise protection system at the mouths of the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Bang Pakong rivers. If the party has sufficient MPs, it will be able to push for this legislation immediately.
Khunying Kalaya, meanwhile, criticized the people of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province for their annual flooding, saying the 9,000 baht in compensation was ineffective compared to the damage. She said it was time for the country to invest in precise technology, and a government ready to promote it. She added that the country needed an opportunity, and she requested the Thai Kao Mai Party be given the opportunity to serve in the government. Regardless of who is in power, they must utilize water management technology.