According to the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Thailand will have a tough time completing its five-year, THB350 billion plan meant to divert floodwaters away from Bangkok.
An article published by the Nation outlines how environmental concerns and local opposition to land expropriation have threatened to waylay the project.
Of the 28 dams proposed for construction throughout the country, the RID claims that only a dozen are likely to be completed within five years. The rest, the organization fears, will fall off schedule owing to the necessity of conducting environmental impact studies, and the fulsome opposition of local groups to land expropriation.
Bids for construction of the water and flood management infrastructure projects have been solicited by the Prime Minister’s Office Ministry and the deadline for their submission is May 3. Once bids are received, the government plans to award the contract by late June.
Among the contenders are Korean and Japanese construction firms.
