16 July 2002

TA CHIN RIVER DAMS

Thousands of people from Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom have forced an early end to a hearing on the proposed damming of the Ta Chin river.

About 5,000 people turned up for the hearing yesterday, booing Irrigation Department staff and breaking into the hall to disrupt the proceedings.

The meeting at Buddha Monthon was chaired by former Kasetsart University rector Theera Sutabutra. As tensions rose he decided to cut short the planned three-day hearing to just one day.

The crowd threatened to protest outside Government House against the project.

Under the 9.7-billion-baht project two dams would be built across the river in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran and Samut Prakan's Bang Len districts. The idea is to stop salt water flowing from the South China Sea, prevent floods and improve cultivation.

The department's engineer said the project would not affect the environment, but Thongtan Lattapipat, of Samut Sakhon's fishermen association, said the department was lying.

``The environmental impact assessment by Team Consultant Co says clearly that the dams would worsen water pollution,'' he said. The project would cause severe flooding and trap waste and toxic substances in the river.

``If the dams are built, the lower Ta Chin basin would be drowned under waste-water from upstream,'' said Mr Thongtan.

Chanyaporn Sirisaranyakul, a Samut Sakhon resident, said the department already had four dams on the river. They had damaged the river environment and lives of local people.

``Now, they are going to kill us with another two dams,'' she said.

Floods and pollution were problems, but would not be solved by building more dams.

Ms Chanyaporn said the department should open all the sluice gates and let the river run freely.

``Nature could do the clean-up by itself. All we need is stringent control of waste-water from factories and livestock farms along the river,'' said Ms Chanyaporn. ``The department won't solve the problem by creating new ones.''

Chana Rungsaeng, of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, said the department had evidently learned nothing from the failure of Bang Pakong dam in Chachoengsao province.

``How could people trust the department, whose projects cause great damage to the country and the environment,'' said Mr Chana.

The committee will decide on the dams in 45 days, and send its report to the cabinet.