The European Commission has announced a €12 million grant to support an overhaul of irrigation and water management in Thailand’s Lower East Chao Phraya river basin, alongside a loan of more than €53 million from the French Development Agency and co-financing from the Asian Development Bank.
The EU funding will be blended with the French Development Agency (AFD) loan, with additional backing from the Asian Development Bank, the Commission informed on Wednesday.
The support was announced under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, described by the Commission as its framework for investment in areas including digital, energy and transport links, as well as health, education and research systems worldwide.
International Partnerships Commissioner Jozef Síkela said he was expressing solidarity with people affected by recent floods, adding that climate change and extreme weather have “very real consequences” for communities, farmers, businesses and public services.
Digital tools for flood forecasting
The €12 million grant will fund “crucial elements” intended to provide what the Commission called the institutional and digital backbone for improved water management across the Lower East Chao Phraya basin.
That includes a Decision Support System — a digital tool to help authorities use data to make operational choices — as well as flood forecasting and hydrometeorological monitoring.
Community-based systems will be connected to local authorities and linked to information generated through the Decision Support System, with the aim of ensuring “critical information” reaches communities most at risk so people can prepare and act earlier in response to flooding or other climate-related hazards.
