Pak Kret District Koh Kret Sub-district Administrative Organization held a meeting to release the details of strategies, plans and implementation of each project to the public, which is a community meeting that local government organizations need to hold with relevant government agencies. It discussed budget approval for dam construction to protect the Chao Phraya River’s banks and improve the landscape.
The meeting will be held at Koh Kret Street Administration on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 10:00 am. At the meeting, Ms Kanyarat Suebsinphon, 55, a native of Koh Kret, wanted to ask if the dam construction had started. She questioned whether the project should be outsourced through a public hearing before it could start. The project was not agreed upon by the community or villagers at all. Why it could start? no one could answer at the meeting. She said she learned that the project had already begun and came to the meeting today for the details. She thought it was out of line to do so and claimed the project started when the prime minister was 61 and villagers complained about flooding. In the past 2-3 years, there has been a new crown virus epidemic, so the community has not let the villagers know the project’s status, and the villagers still haven’t seen the design and other information; how can they have started? She added that the villagers were actually against the project and disagreed with anything that would destroy what is considered a famous tourist attraction in Nonthaburi and affect the way of life of the people of Koh Kret. In addition to affecting residents and businesses along the river, this project also directly involves tourists who come to Koh Kret.
The operator of a noodle shop Tiew Ing Nam in Koh Kret, said that after a community meeting this morning, some villagers saw construction levels that were too high, affecting some roads, houses on the waterfront, and riverside businesses. And the most important thing is that the villagers and officials passed the project without discussing it, and they didn’t know the details. They didn’t even know what the project would look like when it was completed and what impact it would have, resulting in many different opinions and creating confusion.
Ms Suebsinphon believes there will be negative impacts, such as the building being too high and blocking the view, and the house by the river may say it is a one-time wall when it opens its windows. There are also various issues, such as garbage disposal, which must be managed. This is not the first time a dam has been built in this way in Thailand, and it has had severe effects elsewhere. The villagers have worried about the past examples of other provinces, so the best way is to discuss with the relevant departments and let the villagers raise their questions to the appropriate agencies. It hopes that before all the construction is confirmed, it will also be a public hearing or a community consultation.
