Questions/Answers

Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir, the Sea of Chiang Mai, is a large natural reservoir (300 rai) in the Royal project. There are 1,650 meters of beach around the basin. It is as a sea of Chiang Mai allowing people in the mountain, underprivileged and poor people to have the opportunity like the sea. This is because there are beach, restaurants, promenades, and services for people of all ages, with hazardous protection systems and measures to help upon the crisis to give highest security. WHO has gathered developing countries that have problems on campaign to prevent child drowning form natural sources where there are around 20,000 cases per year around the world. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is a natural water source, which the World Health Organization uses as a classroom. It provided 2 times of world-class training. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is the place where people of all ages and genders can come to play, especially the disadvantaged and poor people. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is able to be used under water security measures. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is water source with knowledge exchange as an outdoor classroom for the community and Subdistrict Administrative Organizations (SAOs) to study methods and water security. In 2016, it was awarded by Merit Marker from the Ministry of Health.

Natural water sources in all countries around the world have different depths as traps for those who play the water, resulting in death. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is also natural water source, where many people died in the past. Nowadays, its security has been improved so that it was awarded of Merit Marker by the Ministry of Public Health in 2016. And it is a learning resource for schools and communities to have a chance to study the system and how to reduce the problem of child drowning according to the campaign policy of the WHO successfully.

Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is open to both individual and group swimming. It offers a lecturer to provide advice. Most of the underprivileged and the poor will come to take the service because there is a beach like the sea. Just to pay a fee of only 20 baht. In each year, there are up to 600,000 people coming to take the service, most of them are poor grassroots. Therefore, Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is suitable for of all ages, classes and languages, especially tribal people who come to use the services in a lot number.

The goal of Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir Tourism Office under Royal Initiative of His Majesty King is to be a source of floating practice to be safely in the water, able to help themselves, whether the accident in the water accidentally or in the flood. It has a system with lecturers at the savoir to provide training to the youths and students who come to study, from schools or communities. In case of communities with natural water sources, we can exchange or our approach with the community. For the past 6 years, we have supported many communities to practice. As a result, the number of drowning victims in natural water sources in Thailand decreased from 2,500 people in 2014 to be 1,700 people in 2017. According to the plan of Ministry of Health, it plans that there will be no opportunity of death of drowning in children aged less than 24 years form natural water sources throughout the country (At Zero).Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir provides systems of water security measures as follows: - Beach safety zoning system - Alarm/ wire broadcasting system - Surveillance/ guard system around the savoir - Patrol system by small cruiser - Communication system/ communication system throughout the opening hours. - Timely charting system by speed boat with staff and equipment. - First aid system and referring to the hospital - Allying/ Mass participation by training in Unit School - Hierarchical supervision system - Periodical review system/ staff training for review every 15 days - Sampling check system to be active all the time and to be recheck. - Air patrol by drones system

The problem of society, Whether flat or mountainous areas, where there are natural water sources available in the area, people often go to play water, especially in the Northeast and North of Thailand. These places are far from the sea and the weather is hot weather. These are factors for decisions to play in the water resources of the community without protection without people to control or assist and it causes death of drowning. In one year, a lot of children aged under 14 years drowned in water all over the country (1,700 people in 2017). The Ministry of Public Health has a policy to campaign to define measures to prevent such drowning with projects throughout the country.Huay Tueng Tao took action on water security measures created by the Office. It set the whole system and participated in resolving them tangibly.

The work of Huay Tueng Tao is considered as an outdoor classroom in Chiang Mai with Chiang Mai Public Health Office as a main host. It is place for observation of communities throughout the province and nationwide. The WHO also had 2 times of exhibition at here in 2015 and 2017 with 13 participating countries and 9 pilot province participating in the event. In one year, over 600,000 people will use the service at the reservoir, 20 % of them are outdoor classroom.

In natural water sources around the country or around the world, there is no person in charge and no security measures. They are left neglected and unoccupied as a trap to temp for playing in the water. Huay Tueng Tao has always sticks to this principle that every people who play water must be safe from drowning with preventive surveillance system to prevent drowning.Northeast and North of Thailand are where the case of death from drowning in natural water occurred most. Huay Tueng Tao is the first one that World Health Organization came to solve the problem and choose Huay Tueng Tao as an example for managing the water security system.

Measures of Huay Tueng Tao. Actually, they were created by ourselves according to situations that occurred for 30 years with the reservoir and the loss of life, which occurred every year. We considered on how to reduce the death rate and to be no death at all. We learned from the real experience, trial and error adjustment so that we get such standard and become a model to expand nationwide and worldwide.

Financial resources. The cost of maintenance is charged at 20 baht per person and 50 baht per person for foreigner in order to spend for management wholly without budget from the government support. For personnel, labor in the community and alien labors are employed legally using the money from such maintenance fee. For schools and communities coming to visit as a group, Huay Tueng Tao provides the service with free of charge.

Yes

In the past, WHO organized the exhibition with 13 countries. And in Thailand, it was held 6 pilot provinces in 2015 and the second time was held in 2017. Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir share knowledge to every province and every organization that came to study the system and methods. It is regarded as a model of Thailand and the world. Today, there are many agencies, such as Subdistrcit Administratives Organizations (SAOs), Local Authorities Organizations (LAOs) and schools visiting to observe activities all the year. Water security measures of Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir Tourism Office under Royal Initiative of His Majesty King is a model that can be applied to the administration or other contexts well since it can be comparable to the actual problems, preventive procedure (before incident), procedure during the incident and procedure after the incident. All the accidents and incidents usually have sources, causes and means. These are made as a lesson and create a textbook for continuous and sustainable transmission.

When natural water resources in the area are safe enough to play water without investing, taking a ride to the sea or the beach, without much cost of travelling, people can enjoy playing the water. It is promotion of local tourism to generate income for the communities (not clustered at the seashore), with a better community economy. In the social dimension, it help to spread tourist attractions throughout the regions where natural water resources exist. It is the development of natural resources of the community, encourages participation and brings pride and beauty of the environment in the community as well.

Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir is a natural water source full with water year round. And it is also available for playing in the water all year as well. The process which we must inherit knowledge is through training, restoring, retraining, practicing for skills to staffs all the time. There is training to enhance knowledge to the public and private sectors. We expand its network, especially for students. Nowadays, there are drones as the latest tool to help patrol in the air. In the near future, we will have a diver team and nursing boat for timely rescue with officers and equipment together with a boat (8 seat boat with nursing bed on board).

Yes

It was awarded of Merit Marker by Ministry of Public Health on 3 October 2016. It was evaluated by committees of the Ministry of Public Health that Huay Tueng Tao is a natural water source that offers water source to play like a sea, beach like a sea beach, water accident prevention system and systematic preventive measures as a model for communities throughout Thailand to study and adopt as an example to reduce the loss of drowning in natural water sources. It enhances the quality of life people in poor and disadvantaged areas.

Those from all natural water sources have come to study and it is expanded throughout the country with the Ministry of Health as a host. It contributes to development of community resources to be utilized with pride and reduces the loss of drowning in natural water sources. The result is so obvious that WHO led tea, to organize an event at Huay Tueng Tao as the 2nd time in 2017.

An indicator used in assessment is number of dead people from drowning. In Huay Tueng Tao, number of people drowned is reduced so that in the past 3 years, there was no loss of life. And in the overall country, this number is decreased from 2,000 people per year (4 years ago) to 1,200 people per year at present. Percentage of reduction is more than 40%.

Operation of Huay Tueng Tao.It works in corporation with Don Kaeo SAO, Nakornping Hospital, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Provincial Health Office and expands to the national level, with exhibition being held at the center, namely Rama Garden Hotel at Bangkok, with public and private organizations attending the demonstration and seminar. All agencies of all sectors have the same problems as follows: management water resources in their own area to be able to play safely, with reduction of losses and sustainable development, without blocking, especially the poor and the under privileged people. Don Kaeo SAO organizes a team of trainers educate throughout the province and nationwide, in the both schools and communities, and uses Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir for field training over the past 4 years in cooperation with the agencies with the agencies in the areas as mentioned.

The key lesson learned after implementation is that images of the parents crying for the loss of their most beloved child from the world in an unbearable condition began to decline and will eventually disappear. For developmental concept of the work, to reduce the loss, there should be a compulsory curriculum in schools on both theoretical and practical learning because it must be practical in daily life, especially training of floating in the water.