This week, the general public breathed a sigh of relief after the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) expressed confidence that there is no risk of future rounds of flooding reaching 2011 levels. That epic event has gone down as perhaps the worst floods the nation has faced in modern times.
But for communities that live in designated flood catchment sites in the Lower Central region, all flood seasons are equally miserable.
Low-terrain floods, mostly located in Ayutthaya and some districts in Suphan Buri, have been designated by the government as “flood retention areas”. Flood water from the Upper and Central regions will be diverted and stored before heading to the sea or separated reservoirs.
It is common for the ground floors of people’s homes in these areas to be engulfed by water, forcing them to commute by boat. Residents are often evacuated to live in makeshift tents at community centres or by roadsides in the event of flash floods.
Having to deal with massive floods every year means many villagers have been living in stressful conditions. They are entitled to receive compensation starting from 9,000 baht per house, with additional reparations for those who suffer from flooded farmland.
There have also been reports of accidents occurring during flood evacuations. Four villagers in Bang Ban district in Ayutthaya province drowned recently, including children.
On Sept 23, a 43-year-old man hanged himself in his flooded home in Bang Ban district. While police have yet to determine his motive, family members say he had been overwrought after losing his job and all income due to the flooding.
The question is whether successive governments have done enough to provide welfare and upgrade infrastructure for these affected communities.
This issue was raised in parliament earlier this month after the death of the aforementioned man, and complaints from villagers about late compensation payments and inadequate flood rescue measures.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his interior minister made a timely move by announcing a plan to improve compensation and welfare for villagers in these designated flood catchment areas.
We can but hope this is not just lip service. Various governments have promised to provide help to flooded communities. Yet all they have been given are relief bags and compensation money, the latter often not disbursed until after the flood waters have receded.
There have been discussions of more systematic forms of welfare and social safety nets for villagers living in designated flood catchment areas.
The proposed ideas include allocating more of taxpayers’ money to improve infrastructure, education and a special programme to provide jobs. Instead of just diverting water to existing flood-retention sites, conservationists have urged the government to preserve and create natural wetland basins in flood-prone communities.
This week, the People’s Party proposed ways of managing these designated flood-retention zones. One involves creating a fund for owners to improve their homes so they can better contend with flood risks.
The government must pay heed to all of these suggestions and advice. Instead of focusing on draining the water, more attention must be given to creating natural flood plains across the country, instead of letting communities shoulder the burden.