Nan Villages Struggle 50 Years Without Bridge Over Stream
Farmers in four Nan villages have struggled for 50 years without a bridge over Samun Stream, forcing them to manually drag crops across water during monsoon season and causing significant product damage and transport delays.
Residents and farmers from 3-4 villages in Sanean Subdistrict, Muang District, Nan Province are suffering severe hardship due to difficulties transporting agricultural products across Samun Stream, a critical and heavily used route for moving crops year-round, including rambutan, durian, corn, and rubber to outside markets.
On August 3, 2025, Monnchai Leipaiyat, village headman of Moo 10 Baan Laibeya, explained that during heavy rains and monsoon flooding, water levels in Samun Stream rise and completely inundate the area, making all vehicle and pedestrian crossings impossible. During harvest season, farmers resort to packing agricultural products into sacks, binding them with rope, and manually dragging the sacks across the water to the other side—an exhausting and inefficient process.
This method impacts harvest time, causes worker fatigue during transport, and importantly, damages some of the produce. Residents and farmers have endured this hardship for over 50 years.
Currently, many agricultural products serve as the primary income for farmers in the area. They are requesting a strong bridge across Samun Stream to transport agricultural goods, which would significantly improve the quality of life for residents and farmers.
Sanean Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) official Sanseang Chaephaang revealed that while residents and farmers want the bridge, the project requires substantial funding—estimated at 1-2 million baht or more—exceeding the SAO's budget capacity to implement alone. The SAO is requesting support from relevant government agencies to fund construction of a permanent bridge across Samun Stream to establish a stable transportation route.
