Thailand Invests 210 Billion Baht in Lower Huay Luang Water Management

The National Water Resources Office is investing 210 billion baht in the lower Huay Luang water management project, a critical initiative to solve flooding and drought problems in Udon Thani and Nong Khai provinces. NWRO Secretary-General Chayant Mueangsoong revealed this after visiting the Ban Dan Muang pumping station in Phon Phisai district, Nong Khai province, on August 4, 2025. The project is anchored by the Ban Dan Muang pumping station, which is over 85% complete and designed to manage water flow in two directions. During the rainy season, ten pumps will discharge water from Huay Luang into the Mekong River with a combined capacity of 150 cubic meters per second. During the dry season, the station will pump water from the Mekong back into the system for local storage and use. "Whenever any component is finished, we will begin operating it to help residents immediately, without waiting for the entire project to be completed," Mueangsoong said. He noted that land acquisition and COVID-19 had delayed the project, prompting the National Water Resources Committee to approve an extension through 2025. The extended timeline will cover an additional 20 water-retention pond sites and river improvements to increase total system storage capacity to over 250 million cubic meters, benefiting more than 300,000 rai of agricultural land. The NWRO intends to use the "Huay Luang Model" as a template for similar projects across the northeast. The broader lower Huay Luang basin development project in Nong Khai and Udon Thani is approximately 25% complete and includes the Ban Dan Muang pumping station, 82 kilometers of water-retention dams, and 35 water-retention ponds to manage water for agricultural areas during both rainy and dry seasons. Mueangsoong noted that El Niño is currently reducing rainfall by about 10%, so the NWRO is coordinating daily with the Meteorological Department and the Water Resources Information Institute to assess conditions and manage water through a dynamic curve system. The Irrigation Department has been tasked with maximizing water retention in Huay Luang. Sunton Khamsrimueang, director of Large-Scale Irrigation Construction Office 5 under the Irrigation Department, explained that the area's main challenge is flooding during the rainy season, which prevents farmers from growing rice, while all water drains into the Mekong during the dry season. The project is designed to use the pumping station at the mouth of Huay Luang to control flow and utilize the waterway as the primary reservoir. When the spillway gates are completed, water storage during the dry season will reach 160 meters above mean sea level, representing approximately 138 million cubic meters—enough to significantly ease water shortages for local residents. Thammapong Naowbut, director of the NWRO Region 3 office, stated that the NWRO Region 3 uses the Northeastern Mekong River Basin Committee as the primary mechanism for monitoring and overseeing the project to align with the master water resources management plan, coordinating with the Irrigation Department and related agencies to drive progress. The NWRO is also advancing the master plan for water resources management in the northeastern Mekong basin, covering 15 provinces.