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The Songkhla Lake
basin in southern Thailand is rich in natural resources, including
forests, minerals, farmlands and fisheries. The area has recently become
the main focus of development activities in southern Thailand, with
construction of roads and railways, darns, and irrigation projects,
groundwater extraction, swamp reclamation, industrial growth, and a deep
port at Songkhla. The prospect of a sea level rise could have many
impacts on existing and future development schemes, and on the regional
economy of this part of Thailand. If sea level rises one metre there
will be extensive coastal erosion and redistribution of sediments,
expansion of lakes, submergence of existing wetlands and formation of
new wetlands at higher levels, and increased salt water intrusion into
the lakes and coastal aquifers. This paper discusses the possible
consequences of such a sea level rise. It is hoped that it will
stimulate the design of appropriate planning and remedies to alleviate
adverse effects of a rising sea level.
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