A water reservoir in Thailand. (Source: nationmultimedia.com)
Thailand’s government on October 4 officially announced its water resources management strategy for the next 12 years, beginning from the end of 2015.
Thai agencies are at the moment drafting a Law on Water Resources to set a legal framework for managing water resources across the country.
The main points of the strategy were already introduced by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha at a conference on utilizing the advantages and contributions of water resources in obtaining sustainable development goals, which was held on the sidelines of the United Nations summit on sustainable development in New York, the US.
In his speech, PM Prayut Chan-ocha said Thailand will manage water resources on three levels.
At the level 1, the government will recover destroyed forest and reduce soil erosion to maintain ecosystems and natural balance. The Thai government also has plans to build large water reservoirs to ensure water security.
Diverting water from large rivers Mekong and Chao Phraya into vast water reservoirs to deal with water scarcity in northeastern and central regions is also a project underway.
The level 2 will focus on managing the use of water resources. Thailand has set the goal of supplying clean water to 7,000 villages throughout the country by 2017, one of efforts to ensure equal access to water resources and ensure the sustainable development of agriculture, a big contributor to the national economy.
At the level 3, relevant agencies will focus on managing waste water and ensure that waste water would not directly flow into clean water sources. The government will boost investment into waste water projects and contain saltwater intrusion.
In the past years, the Thai government has paid much attention to managing water resources and in 2013, Thailand hosted a Asia-Pacific Summit on Water in Chiang Mai.-VNA
The Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) has revealed that drought crisis has caused the agricultural economy to contract by 4.2 percent during the first half of this year.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
A water reservoir in Thailand. (Source: nationmultimedia.com)
