UTTARADIT, Thailand – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Piyarat Tiyapairat visited Uttaradit Province on May 30, to monitor progress on the Khlong Lawan Water Diversion Project and related infrastructure to improve water management and reduce recurrent flooding in Uttaradit and Phitsanulok provinces. The project, along with the Khlong Lamung–Bueng Cho–Nan River Water Diversion Project, aims to address chronic flooding affecting over 70,000 rai of agricultural land in Laplae, Tron, and Phichai districts of Uttaradit Province. This area suffers from flood damage every rainy season. During the visit, the Deputy Minister instructed agencies to accelerate engineering feasibility studies, surveys, project design, and construction planning. She emphasized that the initiative is a priority in the government’s efforts to improve water management and reduce flood impacts on agricultural communities.
The project is expected to divert excess water that often floods farmland in Dong Prakham Subdistrict, Phrom Phiram District, Phitsanulok Province. It will also improve drainage capacity through the Sawankhalok–Phichai (Yom-Nan) Canal system in Khorum Subdistrict, Phichai District, Uttaradit Province. These improvements should increase drainage efficiency and reduce damage to agriculture and public property. The Deputy Minister said the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives remains committed to advancing the government’s water management, disaster preparedness, and agricultural development policies to strengthen food security, boost competitiveness, and improve farmers’ incomes in a sustainable manner. (NNT)
