Save Our Truly Golden Triangle and Save Ourselves
For some Thais, the term ‘Golden Triangle’ probably conjures up a border area lying between Thailand, Laos and Burma which was once infested with illicit activities such as drug smuggling and gun running. Lately, however, new policies and investment have made it a thriving center of legitimate economic activities – recent developments have made the area better.
The same cannot be said about the most important golden triangle in Thailand. But of course, few Thais probably have ever thought of this area as a triangle. It is formed by imaginary lines drawn from the mouth of the Bang Pakong River to the mouth of the Mae Klong River, and from those two river mouths to a point around Nakhon Sawan. These lines do not have to be perfectly straight; some land adjacent to them could be included. This is truly a golden area for it has been the source of life for Thais throughout the kingdom’s history – it is probably the area alluded to in the well known text literally etched in stone, said to be from the King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai era, a section of which reads, “In the water, there are fish; in the fields, there is rice.”
This triangle has been transformed by recent policies and investment which have fueled the growth of urban centers, from the colossal Bangkok metropolis to small towns dotting the countryside. There are factories of all sizes, from small agricultural processing plants to large manufacturing establishments. The urban centers and the factories have been the main sources of pollution that have severely affected the quality of water in rivers and canals; this fact is well known. Less well known, however, is pollution of the land. According to a recent document, Vision 2027, issued by the National Economic and Social Development Board, about 60% of the land throughout Thailand has been affected. This does not include the parts that have changed from green rice fields to the less eye-pleasing brown hue of urban areas and factories.
Considering the importance of this triangle, especially for producing food that will be increasingly needed for domestic consumption as well as for export, what happens to this area should no longer be allowed to take place mostly by default as it has been in the past. What needs to be done first is to further restrict the growth of factories, which have been attracting workers from other parts of the country, resulting in the growth of urban areas in the past few decades. In the future, most factories and industrial estates should be located outside the triangle. In addition, stricter restrictions should be placed on some specific areas inside the triangle to be designated as agricultural land only, where no other uses will be allowed, neither housing sub-divisions nor for golf courses.
The new zoning regulations will add to, or replace, the ones that already exist. They will serve to preserve agricultural land, address the imbalances in regional development, and stem the flows of people into the Bangkok metropolitan area. At the same time, enforcement of the regulations, that up to now has been lacking, must also be substantively strengthened.
As this triangle is already prone to flooding, it will be further affected by the impact of rising sea levels and stronger typhoons resulting from global warming. Some have proposed constructing a gigantic and costly gate near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, similar to Het Keringhuis in the Netherlands (See picture on the left). As impressive as Het Keringhuis is, whether it will offer effective protection for the areas around it remains doubtful for it was planned and constructed long before the potential impact of global warming was fully realized. A similar scheme on the Chao Phraya River will likely serve as a great source for graft rather than offer effective protection for lives and properties in the triangle, in particular the Bangkok metropolitan area which could be substantially flooded in the coming decades. A more comprehensive approach is needed urgently, since it will not be long before the more severe impacts of global warming occur.
A leading measure that should be seriously considered is building medium-sized cities outside the triangle to relieve crowding in Bangkok – this idea has been discussed for quite sometime. Now is the time for implementation or Bangkok might drown, both figuratively and literally.
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