Thailand has asked Japan to support four new water management projects aimed at improving flood prevention, including measures for the flood-prone Chao Phraya River basin, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to strengthen resilience against increasingly frequent extreme weather.
Deputy prime minister Songsak Thongsri said after talks on Wednesday with Japanese ambassador Masato Otaka that Bangkok had proposed four technical cooperation projects to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), covering flood forecasting, river management and public participation in water governance.
The proposals include a decision-support system for the U-Tapao sub-basin, a water-zoning and floodplain management system for the Chao Phraya basin, the use of advanced technology to assess sediment accumulation at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, and a public participation platform for water management.
Japan had shown particular interest in flood prevention initiatives for the Chao Phraya River basin and the southern city of Hat Yai, Songsak said.
He said Japan and JICA had long been key partners in helping Thailand improve water management, providing technical assistance following the country’s devastating 2011 floods and further support after flooding in Hat Yai last year.
“Both sides agreed on the need for a systematic approach to addressing water-related challenges,” Songsak said.
The renewed cooperation comes as Thailand continues to grapple with rising flood risks linked to rapid urbanisation, changing land use and increasingly erratic rainfall driven by climate change.
The 2011 floods, among the country’s worst natural disasters, killed more than 800 people, affected over 13 million across 65 provinces and caused economic losses estimated at about THB1.43 trillion (US$45.7 billion), disrupting global supply chains as industrial estates north of Bangkok were inundated.
The disaster prompted Thailand and JICA to develop a comprehensive flood management master plan for the Chao Phraya River basin, which remains the backbone of the country’s long-term flood strategy. The plan combines structural measures, including water retention areas and bypass channels, with improved forecasting, land-use planning and emergency management.
Despite significant investments since then, flood management remains a major policy challenge.
The World Bank said in its latest Thailand Climate and Development Report that the Chao Phraya River basin remains the country’s highest priority for flood mitigation, with a multi-billion-dollar programme designed to protect against major flood events. The bank said faster implementation of integrated flood management, improved hydrometeorological monitoring and better coordination between agencies would be critical to reducing future losses.
Bangkok, much of which lies on the low-lying Chao Phraya delta, also remains highly exposed to flooding from heavy rainfall, upstream river flows and high tides. The city’s drainage system was originally designed mainly for localised flooding and proved insufficient during the 2011 disaster, prompting authorities to expand drainage tunnels, pumping stations and water retention capacity.
Climate experts have warned that warming temperatures are increasing the intensity of heavy rainfall events across Southeast Asia, raising the urgency of strengthening flood forecasting, river basin management and community preparedness in one of the region’s most flood-exposed countries.
