Pongphon Sarnsamak The Nation 29 Jul 11;
The Pheu Thai party's megaproject to reclaim 300 square kilometres of new land in the Gulf of Thailand could have a severe environmental impact and fail to protect Bangkok from flooding, an environmental academic said yesterday.
The project would need at least 4 billion cubic metres of sand to reclaim 300,000 rai of land in the Gulf of Thailand. This would totally destroy marine biological resources in the sea, which provide food for local people, said Seri Supparathit, a director of Sirindhorn International Environmental Park's Energy for Environment Centre.
The Pheu Thai Party announced the policy during the general election campaign. It would reclaim land for three provinces, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkhram and Samut Sakhon. It is aimed at protecting Bangkok from severe flooding caused by rising sea levels.
The land would be sold to foreigners who wanted to build homes and accommodation on new land, like in Dubai. The land would be valued at Bt 20 million per rai.
But Seri said the land reclamation in the Gulf of Thailand could block five key canals in Bangkok's Bang Khun Thian district, which drain water from the mainland.
"This project would create severe floods, instead of preventing Bangkok from sinking into the water," he said.
Floods in Bangkok are caused by massive amounts of floodwater flowing down from the North. The government could fix this problem through construction regulations, Seri said.
Seri added that the megaproject could also cause severe coastal erosion to nearby areas such as Samut Prakan and Chonburi province by changing sea currents.
"The Pheu Thai party needs to conduct an indepth study to see the impact on the environment and local people before moving forward with this project," he said.
Meanwhile, Prasut Changchareon, the president of Bang Khun Thian coastal community, said he welcomed the project if it did not cause severe impact on the mangrove forest in Bang Khun Thian district, which is now being eroded by sea water.
More than 4.7 square kilometres of coastal areas in Bang Khun Thian district are being eroded by the sea.
"We are now fighting against severe coastal erosion to get our land back," he said.
Local villagers have installed thousand of bamboo sticks and sandbags in the mangrove forest area to protect against the sea and mud.
However, local villagers are confused by the Pheu Thai Party's policies and have asked the party to come up with a clear policy on new land reclamation, said Prasut.
