Coastal farmers call for compensation after being affected by freshwater floods

Bang Bo/Thailand – Following the government’s decision to release freshwater floods into the sea, coastal farmers in Khlong Dan sub-district gathered calling for compensation for their losses.
The discharge of floodwaters resulted in heavy economic and livestock losses for 140 farmers in the sub-district amid the absence of government assistance.
Aquatic animals, raised in more than 4,000 rai of ponds (approx. 6.4 km 2 ), have been killed causing damage estimated at more than 20 million baht (approx. $60.7 million).
Following the floods that hit the upper central and northeastern provinces of Thailand, Khlong Dan farmers called on the government to declare the region as a disaster area and demanded fair treatment similar to Bang Bo’s coastal farmers, who were allocated 5 million baht (approx. $15,1 million) in compensation.
“Our group is directly affected by the drainage We can be regarded as directly affected but the declaration of a disaster area was not announced at all in Khlong Dan Subdistrict in which 140 people were affected in the sub-district,” Ruangsak
Ounbangluang, owner of Hoi Krang Pond said.
The government had previously issued a decision to accelerate the discharge of freshwater into the sea at Khlong Dan Subdistrict, excluding its locals from compensation.
As seawater quality is getting better and the potential for coastal fishing, a group of farmers complained that no money is left to invest in the profession; therefore, they appealed to the concerned agencies to urgently solve their problems.
Explaining the adverse consequences of floodwater, Ounbangluang said that the flow of freshwater into the pond damages the soil and reduces the salinity of water, leading to the death of shells and cockles that cannot survive in a non-standard
water density.
Earlier, a fisherman in Bang Bo District, Nithiwat Wongwiwat, said that District Fisheries Office had set up a commission to investigate the extent of damage caused by floods after an affected farmer in Bang Bo filed a complaint.
It was declared a disaster area, as a total of 296 farmers were badly affected, and aid amounting to 5,800,000 baht should have transferred directly to farmers’ accounts by December 27, 2021, according to Wongwiwat.