4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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From the basin potential of the Mae Raka Canal, in Tak Province by SWOT analysis, the weakness are incapability to develop to be large scale water source; shortage of capital water; highland with a long distance from the Bhumibol Dam which is a large scale dam; incapability to receive water from the Dam, pretty low average rainfall; no inflow in the dry season; full of sand sediment in the Mae Raka Canal. These cause critical drought. Then Tak Provincial Irrigation Office urgently proposed the solution project to Tak Province with the purposes of increase of water source for domestic consumption sufficiently; rehabilitation of water source condition for retaining water for agriculture and livestock, conservation of balanced environment and ecology. Therefore, the implementation strategy for achievement and optimum outcome is the project design to be the most compatibility with the community surroundings by using local material without impact on villagers’ livelihood, and low budget. Villagers can learn and implement it by themselves. This can be used as the prototype applying to extend to other areas. Strategies and methods to be practiced are as follows:
Strategy for the designation of innovation pattern started in 2007 by collecting data and problems, urgent necessity to be solved; studying the geological condition, existing structures and other constructions, several local knowledge wisdom; meeting and discussion with community leaders, learned men for recommendation; learning the fault of the past projects for analyzing the problems so as to identify alternatives in accordance with the community’s livelihood; joining the integration with the ideas among leaders of localities, districts and communities; explaining and making understanding as well as exchanging experience for mutual solution without dispute. This comes to the new pattern of water retention, adapting the original surface retention to be a new pattern under the existing surroundings by retaining water beneath sandbed, designing the clay core weir to retard and retain water.
Strategy for impulsion of innovation started in April 2007. After clear pattern is delivered with the locality’s acceptance. Tak Provincial Irrigation Office, community leaders and district authority proposed the government about the problems and solution of drought as the concept on clay core weir construction beneath sandbed in Mae Raka Canal, in order to stipulate in the policy and request the budget for implementation. With the integration of every sector of the government and local people representatives for preparing plans and projects; identification of the target area and urgent necessity in providing water for consumption, agriculture, and livestock; and planning to extend the project to the areas that characterizes similar topography and geology have been undertaken. Tak Province has support the plans and budget from May 2007 on under annual budget for implementation.
Strategy for dissemination of innovation started in June 2009 including dissemination of knowledge, public relations and knowledge exchange, board and exhibition, lecture on the project of clay core weir beneath sandbed, dissemination of the work performance through various medias, such as newspapers, radio, television; prepare the work form further extension; support and promotion of the community to be learning sources so as to practice and extend it for solving in other areas.
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5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Tak Provincial Irrigation Office (TPIO), RID has initiated and identified the project feature and design, drafted the plan with people forum and villagers community leaders and district-level authorities; prepared the action plan; stipulated the objectives, goals, and strategies of project implementation; proposed the urgent solution to the Province for the Provincial Committee so as to contain in the policy and support the budget. Tak Provincial Irrigation Office also gives technical and academic advice throughout the project commencement until the completion, prepares the work manual, document, publication, brochure, exhibition; and gives lectures on knowledge to the interested people in the province and country levels.
Provincial Committee formulates the policy, supervises and approves the plans and budget as well as inspects and evaluates the disbursement; supports the manufacturing factors to farmers utilizing from water source. Provincial Governor's Office coordinates with other government agencies.
Provincial Relation Office plays a role in public relations of the project via various medias, such as newspaper, radio, television. Tak Provincial Irrigation Office supports the information.
District level Authority is responsible for preparation of the plan and project as the recommendation of Tak Provincial Irrigation Office in conformity with the community requirement; coordination with the local leaders to select the area to be constructed in priority for requesting budget to the Province; and supervision of the construction according to the plan schedule.
Staff of Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) and local leaders are responsible for determination of suitable site; coordination with villagers and related government agencies; preparation of plans and activities for enhancement of utilization of water source after project takeover from the government.
Villagers in the area give the information about problems and local wisdom using for drought solution, and participates in construction by their labours.
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6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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Resources that used for drought solution through the innovation of clay core weir beneath sandbed are as follows:
Budget is allocated from the budget of Tak Province development strategy. With low investment and budget facilitates the government to support and distribute the budget to the locality to meet the people’s requirement rapidly. From the past implementation since 2007, the government has supported the total budget of about 880,362 US$. The cost includes cost of labour and material. Most expenditure that is construction cost in case of labour using, the capital cost includes cost of labour and material. The wage is paid to the villagers who do construction work; this is to support the low-income people to gain more income from the project development in their locality about 70% of construction cost. For the material cost includes cost of clay and big rock about 30% of construction cost, most of the expenditure is material transportation cost. In case of construction in the large stream, heavy machines are deployed; the capital will include machinery cost about 70% of construction cost and the rest 30% will be the labour and material cost.
Techniques comprises 2 sections: Engineering technique, Considering the site to be constructed, the speculators will have experience, knowledge and skill for identification of suitable weir location. This will save construction cost and can retain water efficiently. Officers of Tak Provincial Irrigation Office will give knowledge and recommendation. Another section is construction techniques which can be implemented in 2 methods: labour by villagers in the area for wages, suitable for the canal or stream of not over 15 m wide; machinery, suitable for canal or stream with the width of over 15 meter for accelerating the work completion.
Human resource Officers of Tak Provincial Irrigation Office render the consultation on academic and technique matter. Staff of Province Office supervise the policy, budget administration, monitor and follow up. Staff of District Office supervise the work and take care of the project. Staff of Subdistrict Administrative Organization, local leaders and villagers in the area coordinate and select the appropriate site with the District Office, from the topography survey, selection of sites, design and cost estimation, request of budget approval, project construction and evaluation.
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7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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From the project implementation during 2007-2012, 605 clay core weirs beneath sandbed have been constructed in the Mae Raka Canal Basin and extended to other areas, covering 2 districts, 15 subdistricts and 97 villages; beneficial area of 4,304 acres; 1,940 households.
Solution of water shortage Villagers can pump water for domestic consumption throughout the year. The project provides raw water source for waterworks in the community of Pongdang Subdistrict, Muang District, Tak Province. Water from beneath sandbed sources will be taken to generate waterworks system for 11 villages of the total 14 villages, 954 households including 3,825 people. Farmers have water for agriculture during erratic rainfall. Moreover, in the dry season, household agriculture can be practiced throughout the year.
Environment and ecology conservation Conservation of ecological balance for plants and animals in the area; retention of water in sandbed to nourish humidity around the area; stabilization and increase of water table to fill the wells around the area for longer period; forest restoration for humidity, fertility to the surrounding nature, and extending the afforestation on both banks of the stream.
Socio-Economy Farmers do agriculture sustainably both in the wet and dry season. During erratic rainfall, water can be pumped to help the areas that lack of water. In the dry season, farmers have alternatives in growing field crop and low-water required vegetables. Moreover, villagers can manage water by themselves without depending on the government sector, making villagers better living, associate with different occupations in their village, such as cow raising group, fishery group, local handicraft and textile group, and local food group.
Engineering It is the integration of academic principle and local wisdom, making the project development safety, in compatibility with the area circumstance and simple management. It is an alternative of small scale water management that does not affect the environment, and also be learning center, research and develop for further medium and large scale water resources development.
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8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Monitoring and evaluating the project is carried out as the specified target and objectives. From the past project implementation, monitoring and evaluating system will be the supervision device for achievement, finding the faults for improvement and solution by hearing the recommendation, opinion of various agencies, stakeholders of every sector, local leaders, villagers and community leaders in the area, and surveying the villagers’ satisfaction on the project. From the satisfaction questionnaire of 300 villagers, 100% is satisfied with the government solution by constructing clay core weirs beneath sandbed; 96% is satisfied with the completed construction work while the rest 4% lives far from the project. In addition, Tak Provincial Irrigation Office has provided other channels for public hearing and recommendation from interested people via website and facebook for service development. So far as the project implementation, there is no negative information and recommendation. Besides, the monitoring system on budget disbursement of Provincial Committee is undertaken for transparency.
Tak Provincial Irrigation Office also takes new knowledge and technology for data collection of weir location by Global Positioning System (GPS), records and collects data in Geographic Information System (GIS) for being database for analysis, monitoring the utility of the project and follows up the circumstance change for comparison between before and after the project implementation.
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9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Firstly major problems and obstacles occur from the villagers’ familiarity about surface water in the ponds, swamps, or several water sources for domestic consumption and agriculture, of which is seen how much of water retained for use. In the other hand, water retained in the sandbed is unseen; water users must dig and take water to use by installing small pumps. Villagers are not familiar and confident with the project accomplishment. For solving problems, officers of TPIO give the suggestion, lectures on knowledge, prepare the manual for dissemination and admiration of people who succeed in water use from the completed project as the best practice example, cooperate with the government and private sectors to support the budget and capital with low interest from the village fund, for supporting the manufacturing factors to farmers under the government project. This helps the project be successful and popular as well as rapidly increased in number. Example of taking water to produce waterworks in the villages of Pongdang Subdistrict, Muang Tak District of Tak Province is 11 villages from 14 villages, and villagers of not less than 150 households have undertaken by themselves.
Other problems arise from villagers’s lack of knowledge on maintenance. From the monitoring and evaluation, water erodes at the crest weir downstream during the flood season. Then officers of TPIO have given the recommendation and prepared manual for guidelines, transferred knowledge on simply methodical maintenance; only land leveling of eroded areas and sand compaction requires a short time to repair. Villagers can manage it themselves without budget and grow vetiver grass on both banks to prevent erosion in the flood period, and also quick growing crops on both banks above the clay core weir to increase the forest area and humidity, and conserve the environment in surrounding area.
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