YALA, Thailand – A public hearing for a controversial water retention project designed to prevent flooding in southern Yala city has been suspended following mounting opposition from community leaders and environmentalists. The Water Resource Department announced on Monday the cancellation of the hearing for the Phru Lan Kwai scheme, which was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the Muang district to gather feedback from affected residents and local officials.

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The proposed infrastructure project seeks to utilize 15,000 rai of land spanning the Raman district of Yala and the Thung Yang Daeng district of neighboring Pattani. The primary objective is to divert and hold excess floodwaters from the Pattani River, which flows past the Yala municipality and through downtown Pattani before emptying into the Gulf of Thailand, thereby shielding Yala city from seasonal inundation.

However, the targeted area, Phru Lan Kwai, is part of the Sai Buri River basin and holds status as a Ramsar site, designating it as a wetland of international ecological importance. The region is rich in natural resources, and villages within the basin rely heavily on the land and swamp ecosystems for rice farming, freshwater fishing, and cattle herding, which benefit from the nutrients carried downstream.

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Opponents of the project, including villagers, religious leaders, and environmental advocates, have strongly petitioned the state, arguing that the development would irreparably damage the ecosystem and ruin the traditional livelihoods of local farmers and fishermen. To voice their dissent, religious leaders organized a Muslim ceremony in the area on Friday to demonstrate that local populations do not consent to their agricultural land being converted into a water reservoir.

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The resistance culminated on Monday when a coalition of approximately 150 residents, human rights defenders, academics, and civic network members signed a formal statement demanding a government reconsideration of the scheme. The petition emphasized that while flood mitigation is a critical necessity, it should not be achieved by shifting the burden of environmental and economic loss onto rural communities. Authorities have yet to announce a new date for the public hearing or outline alternative flood management strategies.

-Thailand News (TN)