Hearing Started To Gauge Views for Thailand's New Water Resources Bill by Phairath Khampha 19 July 2001 Fora nationwide to supposedly ensure fairness The drafting process of a new water bill officially started with a hearing to mobilise public opinion on how water and other resources in Thailand should be managed. The bill would replace the old draft, which was criticised for being unconstitutional, Sanong Chantanintorn, director of the Office of National Water Resources Management Committee, said at the hearing at the end of June 2001. Similar fora would be held later in every part of the country, he said. "We hope to see the new bill reach parliament in the next session later this year, he said. Water rights and public participation have been given priority in the new draft. Surapol Duangkae, secretary-general of Wildlife Fund Thailand, who is also a member of the National Water Resources Committee, said a shift was needed in water management direction as the conventional, market-led management appeared not to be working in this rapidly changing world. Conflicts over water would one day become a burning issue for society if they were to be ignored for too long. The country was in need of a rule which was fair to every party to ensure fair distribution of water to every sector. He said the people's sector was against the bill for fear that it would end up as a political tool of the state. They are afraid that water, like other natural resources, would be allocated only to those who can afford to pay for it, that is, Thailand's economic and political elite. This is what has happened with most of the other of Thailand's natural resources. It was agreeed on June 30 that water management organisations should be set up at different levels, ranging from local to the national level. Hannarong Yawalert of WFT said the organisations should consist of representatives of every sector. "We should look beyond water users when talking about water resources management." In his opinion, more attention should be given to water conservation. He said a conflict settlement mechanism should be inserted in the bill to handle disputes between people in different river basins. It remained unclear whether the new draft would ever win acceptance from the people's sector. Earlier, grassroots organisations in the North said they were drafting their own bill to challenge the state version. Mr Sanong said he was open to public views. "We will incorporate the people's version into our draft, he said.