The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has adopted the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's philosophy as it moves to strengthen disaster risk reduction activities to help communities in Thailand prepare for flooding and other disasters.
Speaking yesterday at an event marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, DDPM's director-general Chayapol Titisak said his agency will promote the late King's philosophy in managing water resources and preventing natural disasters resulting from excessive water or a lack of water such as drought, flooding and landslides.
It would promote the message to communities nationwide to honour the late King, whose initiatives eased the impact of natural disasters in Thailand in recent decades.
"Numerous initiatives and projects of the late King such as building reservoirs, weirs and dams across the country, the artificial rain-making technique and the use of vetiver grass to alleviate different types of soil surface loss have helped Thailand reduce disaster mortality and the number of affected people. So we want to ensure his aspiration is carried on from generation to generation," Mr Chayapol said.
He said the royal projects initiated by the late King are also in line with the UN's Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, an international agreement with seven targets and four priorities for action which Thailand has recently signed.
The seven global targets in the Sendai Framework are substantial. They include reducing global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortality rate in the decade 2020-2030 compared to the period 2005-2015, reducing the number of affected people globally by 2030, and aiming to lower average global figure per 100,000 in the decade 2020-2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.
The four priorities for action outlined in the Sendai Framework to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks are understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, investing in disaster reduction for resilience and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response.
"Each country joining the Sendai Framework can choose their own methods to reach the targets. For Thailand, we will follow in the late King's footsteps as a long-term strategy. We also set a target to move from disaster relief to disaster preparedness with the development of pioneering early warning systems," DDPM's chief said.
Mr Chayapol said DDPM is also planning to publish 3,000 books on disaster risk reduction, drawing on the late King's advice.
It hopes to spread his philosophy among Thai communities as well as the international community.
Deputy director-general Kobchai Boonyaorana said 10,000 households in Thailand have been hit by floods and 90 people have died so far this year.
"The number of people dead and affected by floods in Thailand has fallen steadily in the past few years, thanks to the royal projects and the improvement of the early warning systems," he said.
Meanwhile, DDPM yesterday warned residents of 10 central provinces to brace themselves for heavy rain and possible flash floods until Thursday.
