The government is set to earmark 3 billion baht to build and renovate a total of 30,000 check dams nationwide to create jobs in local areas and control water during the upcoming rainy season.
Nathporn Chatusripitak, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, said the budget was approved by the cabinet at Tuesday's meeting to tackle the ongoing water shortage in the North and Northeast amid the drought.
The sum was allocated from a reserve budget for emergency projects in fiscal 2019. It is on top of the 62.83 billion baht already earmarked for water management in fiscal 2019.
The cabinet has assigned the Interior Ministry and related agencies to handle the building or maintenance of check dams and reservoirs nationwide in June.
At a cabinet meeting on April 30, the interior, agriculture and cooperatives, transport, and natural resources and environment ministries, as well as the Budget Bureau, were ordered to survey weirs nationwide that have the potential to reserve water.
"Check dam construction should be sped up to keep water in the coming rainy season," Mr Nathporn said.
"Construction should happen in watersheds and slope areas that can delay heavy water flow and reduce flooding in the rainy season. Locations should also have a small reservoir to keep water for agricultural purposes the next dry season."
The government requires community participation in the construction, with local administrations hiring farmers in the areas to help with construction.
The building of small dams to keep water was a royal initiative of King Bhumibol and is a good method to preserve and rehabilitate the land and forests, Mr Nathporn said.
Check dams are normally built to block water flow in sloped areas or watersheds, as well as to help reduce flash floods.
