Thailand: Learning to live with the weather
By Thana Boonlert
Water management innovations and the resilience of local people have helped turn a flood-prone community in Rangsit's Nong Sua district of Pathum Thani into a prototype multi-purpose water catchment area.
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"More than 80% of the area is used for agriculture. We helped locals improve flood gates and design furrows to provide appropriate space along rows of trees and water moats. With well-designed flood gates and water draining space within the orchards, the community can divert and retain water runoff from the Raphiphat canal which also helps reduce the severity of flooding in neighbouring areas," she told reporters who visited the community late last month.
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Amid changing climatic conditions, farmers over the past few year, have switched to producing palm oil to mitigate the effects of drought. Currently, palm trees and rice make up the majority of the crops grown in the community.
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Surajate Boonya-Aroonnet, director of the Hydro-Informatics Innovation Division at the HII, said they have also introduced telemetry to record weather parameters, including temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and precipitation.
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