Location

Yom and Sakaekrang Rivers, Thailand

Yom River and Sakae Krang River are located in the lower north and central parts of Thailand and are both tributaries of the Chao Phraya River in Thailand. Thailand has a wet and a dry season, and river flows are known to vary significantly depending on the rainfall conditions in each season. There is concern that climate change will amplify this effect.

 

Issue

Those river basins are vulnerable to climate change due to varying water flows between the rainy and dry seasons

Community members living in the watersheds of these rivers were at risk of river flooding and drought. Climate change has increased the gap between the wet and dry seasons, which has further intensified these impacts and increased the vulnerability of the communities. In this situation, people assumed that gray infrastructure solutions were the way to go. However, gray infrastructure solutions were expensive and not always an efficient option in terms of water security. More cost-effective solutions were required to meet their needs.

 

Solution / Lesson learned

Capacity building for communities to enhance their resilience against peatland fire

Given this situation, GIZ, which supported the planning of adaptation measures in these areas, first raised the population's awareness of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). EbA is an approach to utilize the benefits of nature and ecosystems for adaptation, and it is usually more cost-effective. Through the capacity building program, GIZ communicated that under the integrated water resource management approach, the use of EbA, rather than gray infrastructure, would bring additional value to society, such as the expansion of water source recharge areas. The participatory approach involving river basin committees and local communities in each basin was then used to develop guidelines for improving the adaptive capacity of the basin. Through these efforts, it is expected that the integrated water resources management approach, including EbA, will be applied to these and other basins in Thailand in the future.