Sustainable Indicators of Water Resource Development Projects in Conservation Areas, Thailand

Abstract

Water resources development in Thailand is a very considerable aspect due to high variation of hydrological regime. Responsible agencies have to sufficiently supply in terms of quantity and quality raw water for various needs including water supply, agriculture, as well as industrial and other uses. Development of a water reservoir is one of the efficient
measures as for water source, in spite of some limitations. Unfortunately, the appropriate locations of potential reservoirs are mostly located in the natural resources conservation area occupied with the abundantly good ecological system, which might lead to the conflict of interest between the line agencies of water resources development and natural resources conservation. Despite the national laws and policies specify to promote sustainable water resource development, specific guidelines and standards for quantity-based consideration of sustainability together with the balance between resources development and conservation of a potential project have not yet been defined in details.

Consequently, the quantitative criteria to establish the sustainable water resource development indicators, applying the principles of self-sufficiency economy and transitioning from the extreme development of high into moderate impact levels with self-sustaining development, will ensure that the future water resources project development can be carried out successfully and effectively towards sustainability. The study is qualitative research using the Del Phi method. The Del Phi’s panel comprised selective 20 experts of various related ields, governmental agencies and independent academia. The research conducted firstly by defining draft relevant dimensions, factors, and indicators drawn from the previous related researches, and from in-depth interviewing 7 experts of the key related fields. Then the additional indicators and their scoring ranges were intensively determined and classified from the data and information of the 30 reservoirs’ environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports as well as those referenced from the relevant researches, governmental agencies’ regulations and announcements. The draft final indicators and scoring ranges were summarized and proposed to the Del Phi’s panel not less than two rounds to obtain their majority conclusion on indicators, weighting factors, scoring ranges and recommendations of sustainability level for the future projects.

The study results indicated that the relative importance weighting of four dimensions to be considered were : engineering (20%), natural resources and environment (35%), social (25%), and economics (20%). This research identified 14 main factors of which 7 factors having high significance, including (1) wildlife, (2) forests, (3) ecology system, (4) number of affected people, (5) quality of life, (6) economic feasibility, and (7) social opposition. These 14 factors comprise a total of 29 key indicators, with 12 highly significant indicators including (1) uniqueness, (2) number of opponents, (3) water quality, (4) annual cultivated area per reservoir capacity, (5) design flood rate per reservoir capacity, (6) environmental economic feasibility, (7) economic feasibility, (8) proportion of beneficiaries on sufferers, (9) conservation area type, (10) Number of evacuated households per unit of reservoir capacity, (11) endangered wildlife, and (12) biodiversity of wildlife.