Dutch Dyke Group Proposes 1.8 Billion Baht Grant for Mangroves by Phairath Khampha 7 August 2002 The Netherlands government has offered a grant of 45 million euro (about 1.8 billion baht) to the city administration towards coastal protection and mangrove conservation in Bang Khun Thien district. Bangkok Governor Samak Sundaravej said Dutch Consortium, an engineering consulting group made up of NEDECO, proposed the aid project to the Hague government to mark the 400th anniversary of Thai-Dutch relations. The aid would be given on the condition the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration adopted the consortium's proposal to build a dyke as a buffer zone to protect the Bang Khun Thien coast from erosion and restore the degraded mangrove area, he said. The entire project would cost an estimated 136 million euros. The Netherlands government was willing to offer a low-interest loan for the outstanding 91.3 million euros. Dutch Consortium is a group of dyke construction consultants comprising Netherlands Dredging Consultants BV, Ballast Nedam Dredging, Haskoning and Delf Hydraulics. It had studied the project for the city since 2001. It suggested that a 300m wide groyne made of sandbags be built as a buffer zone and a dyke along the 4.7km coast. Mr Samak said he had to study the Dutch proposal together with those previously put forward by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Harbour Department and the BMA's public corporation Krungthep Thanakhom Ltd before making any decision. City planning chief Nikom Wairatpanij said he hopesd to integrate the Dutch Consortium proposal with JICA's. The Japanese study suggested replanting a 300m wide mangrove forest as a natural buffer zone. He did not think this would affect the aid the Netherlands government would offer to the project.