- Strengthening the capacity of irrigation engineers nationwide through a participatory training programme on water management and infrastructure development under changing climate conditions
- Promoting the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) alongside grey infrastructure to enhance the long-term sustainability of water systems and local communities
- Enhancing skills in climate risk assessment, data utilisation and hazard mapping to support evidence-based planning and effective communication with key stakeholders
From 9-10 April 2025, up to 50 Royal Irrigation Department (RID) operational-level engineers across the country participated in a three-day active learning workshop entitled ‘Water Management, Grey Infrastructure Design, and Construction under Climate Change’. Hosted in Bangkok by the RID, in collaboration with GIZ, the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI), and Alluvium, as an expert organisation in water and environmental resource management and knowledge transfer, the aim of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of operational-level water engineers to effectively put into practice climate-risk assessments and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA).
Participants learned about EbA strategies, which use nature and services, so called Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that complement the existing grey infrastructure, to help people adjust to the impacts of climate change.
Assistant Professor Pongsak Sutthinon, Head of the Department of Water Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, stated during a lecture on Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment: “Based on diverse case studies from a major flood in Japan in 2018 to recent big floods in Thailand, natural disasters are happening more frequently and becoming more severe, affecting more communities and leading to economic and social losses. This is why we have to be more prepared for unpredictable situations. Risk preparedness and planning for sustainable water resource management is urgently needed.”
Thailand comprises 22 main river basins, each with unique localised challenges. The country also faces flooding, drought, water quality degradation, wetland loss and seawater intrusion into agricultural areas, as well as conflicts in water allocation between agriculture and industry – both of which require sustainable water resources.
Demand for water use in Thailand is estimated at 148 billion cubic metres each year according to the Office of National Water Resources. Of the total, 75% is used in the agricultural sector. However, Thailand has been facing worsening climate-related challenges, including floods, droughts and heat stress, which could result in an estimated loss of up to 14% of GDP by 2050. To reduce the impact of disasters on communities and infrastructure as well as economic and social losses, Dr Pongsak emphasised that a climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) map must be designed and available at the provincial level to identify vulnerable spots and enable not only RID officials but also local administrative bodies and communities to understand possible disaster scenarios and come up with effective preparation.
International expert agency Alluvium, Tony Weber and Adyn de Groot also shared EbA measures, focusing on waterflow management, river morphology restoration, vegetation management and systematic water treatment. NbS-related case studies on riverside vegetation planning and the utilisation of natural methods to prevent riverbank collapses in Queensland, Australia were also presented. The aim was to expand participants’ understanding on the improvement of water quality and strengthening long-term ecosystem resilience.
TEI expert Dr Jeeranuch Sakkhamduang said watershed forest conservation and flood planning management must be continuously implemented by not only policymakers but also government officials, communities and individual households following ecosystem-based adaptation approaches.
During a group exercise session, participants were tasked with putting into practice collaborative learning by using the open-source data visualisation tool Looker Studio to design a hazard map for analysing flood-risk and drought-risk areas based on EbA and NbS approaches. Eventually they were able to come up with suitable and sustainable water resource management for diverse agricultural areas across Thailand.
Araya Getsingnoi, Engineer, Irrigation Technology and Innovation Research Division, Royal Irrigation Department, said the training gave her new knowledge on disaster preparedness planning and data visualisation technology beneficial for her career and communication with colleagues, related departments and other agencies.
Wongsathit Boonthankorn, Head of Construction Division 3, Construction Project Office, Royal Irrigation Office 3 in Phitsanulok, believed knowledge from the workshop would enable him to effectively communicate with local residents, farming households and community leaders. It would help them better understand statistical data and enable them to use it to address local issues in a sustainable way.
Climate Change Adaptation advisor of GIZ’s Enhancing Water Management and Strengthening Adaptation (E-WMSA) project, Ketpharima Sansud, said the CRVA methodology and map for the Lower Yom-Nan river basin had been developed in collaboration with the RID to provide essential data for related stakeholders to integrate climate and disaster risk information into water planning and investment decisions.
“Importantly, knowledge-sharing and scaling up the CRVA approach beyond the E-WMSA project to irrigation offices across the country is essential to help mainstream climate risk information into Thailand’s long-term water management strategy and practice,” she said.
