Water has caused many problems for Thailand. The country is routinely hit by droughts alternating with floods. Yet in terms of water management, Thailand has been blessed with one thing: the country had King Rama IX who spent decades trying to solve water problems and helped lay the foundations of sustainable water management in Thailand.
For Thais, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great is a revered monarch, the heart and soul of the nation. For experts on water management who served the late monarch, such as Chalearmkiat Kongvichienwat, deputy director-general for engineering, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), the late king was “a great hydrological engineer”.
Mr Chalearmkiat had been sent by the…
