Thai Cabinet approves single command for water management

BANGKOK, July 4 (TNA) - In the wake of Thailand's worst flooding in decades late last year, the Cabinet has approved a single-command for water management and flood prevention and solution nationwide run by the government-appointed Water and Flood Management Committee (WFMC). Speaking at a meeting on disaster risk management held in Bangkok Wednesday morning and attended by US, Canadian, European, Japanese and Thai professionals, Thai Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, in his capacity as the WFMC chair, said that the authorized single command should enable the improved and unified water management, as well as flood prevention and solution in the country. Dr. Plodprasop vowed that he would then take serious action against any concerned party failing to cooperate with the WFMC. The minister also proposed that it is time a new Thai ministry tasked with water affairs is established by early next year. The science and technology minister acknowledged that Thailand has started running a 200-million-baht climate survey project under which the United States, through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, and other countries are welcome to join from 2013 onward. (TNA)