A hydro engineering expert at Chiang Mai University has voiced her disagreement with the proposal from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the Cabinet, seeking to save three stone weirs in Chiang Mai province from being dismantled and explore other means to prevent flooding in the northern capital.
In its letter, the NHRC claims that the Cabinet resolution of March 11th, to dismantle the weirs, namely Phaya Kham, Nong Pueng and Tha Wang Tan, was based on a study which lacked public participation and will negatively impact the livelihoods of local people, traditions and local wisdom regarding the weir system.
The NHRC claims that the three weirs were the product of local wisdom, dating back hundreds of years, and had been successful in preventing flooding in Chiang Mai a long time.
They postulate that the flooding in recent years has been caused by encroachment into the Ping River, resulting in the narrowing of the river’s channel and accumulation of sediment. It also claimed that the three stone weirs were registered as national cultural heritage sites.
Associate Professor Chuchoke Aryupong, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Natural Public Disaster Management at Chiang Mai University, argues, however, that the three weirs block the flow of water in the river, accelerating the rate of sedimentation build up, resulting in the raising of the water level and overflows in the rainy season.
He said that the weirs were originally built of bamboo and had to be repaired almost every year, adding that, in recent years, the wooden weirs were replaced with stone, which is more durable. For that matter, he said, the stone weirs are no longer a model of local wisdom and have not been registered as national cultural heritage sites.
The Chuchoke a water gate was built in 2013, he said, to replace the three stone weirs and it has proved to be efficient in storing water for agricultural purposes in the dry season and in preventing flooding in the rainy season.
He claimed that the dismantling of the three stone weirs would help to ease the intensity of flooding, which would benefit many households along the Ping River.
He noted, though, that dredging of the river is also necessary, to remove the accumulated sediments.
