The DEVELOPMENT OF KHLONG PREM PRACHAKORN
AND KHLONG MAE KHA PROJECTS

Since accession to the throne, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has dedicated himself for the happiness and wellbeing of all his subjects. With the ultimate aim for the betterment of people’s livelihood and national progress, He is aspired to sustain, preserve and continue the royal projects initiated by the His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as well as development work related to water sources that are deteriorating over time.

Nowadays water sources whether they be rivers or canals are very much polluted. With full determination, His Majesty has led the development of Khlong Prem Prachakorn and Khlong Mae Kha projects to restore the beauty and nature of both water sources to its originality.

Khlong Prem Prachakorn is a canal in Bangkok which was dug 153 years ago under His Majesty King Chulalongkorn’s directives. Totaling of 50 kilometers, the route of the canal starts in Bangkok, then passing Pathumthani Province and finishing at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.

With over thirty kilometers in length, Khlong Mae Kha is the important natural waterway of Chiang Mai. It has historically co-existed with the locals and acted as natural outer moat, as well as spillway to Ping River, which helps lessen flood problems. In the past years, local people started to build dwellings that encroached into the river, thus resulted in densely populated communities with waste and sewage problems. Additionally, these communities became deprived areas which did not only cause water blockage but also increase the chance of flooding.

With benevolence, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has directed the Royal Thai Volunteers under the Royal Offices to coordinate with government as well as private sectors. The aim is to manage and develop natural waterways according to the master plan.

The development of Khlong Prem Prachakorn and Khlong Mae Kha involves all parties to conduct the project’s volunteer activities. Such cooperation builds collective drives to help improve the livelihood of the locals in these communities along the rivers in many aspects from residential management, infrastructure management, the addition of green space and drainage system.

The development of both canals is the best prototype project that can be applied to other waterway management projects nationwide, leading to better livelihoods, low carbon emission and sustainability.