Yotsanan Wongsawat has been appointed chair of the committee addressing floods and droughts in Northern Thailand after identifying 1,363 flood-risk points. He ordered comprehensive prevention, relief, and restoration efforts, set up a 24-hour war room, employed drones for surveys, and accelerated river dredging, emphasizing the need for swift action to protect vulnerable areas.
On 4 August 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Patdarasmi Thongsaluaykorn, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that Yotsanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, chaired the first 2026 meeting of the Committee for Flood and Drought Prevention and Resolution in Northern Thailand. The meeting took place in Conference Room 1 of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to establish integrated working guidelines for all agencies to systematically manage flood and drought situations in the North.
The Deputy Spokesperson said this meeting follows the Prime Minister's Office order dated 14 July 2026, establishing four regional committees for flood and drought prevention and resolution. The aim is to elevate disaster management to a unified, rapid-response level that efficiently addresses situations. In the North, Yotsanan was appointed chair alongside representatives from key ministries, provincial governors, security agencies, and related organizations.
This enhanced mechanism comes as Thailand monitors 1,363 flood-risk points and 444 drought-risk points in the region. Integration of all sectors is essential to handle both floods and water shortages effectively, minimizing impacts on people and agriculture promptly.
The committee’s duties include directing, coordinating, and integrating work across all sectors, covering preparedness, monitoring and surveillance, emergency prevention and management, victim assistance and relief, and post-disaster rehabilitation. The goal is to ensure fast, effective aid to people and reduce flood and drought impacts as much as possible.
Additionally, the committee has authority to supervise and command government agency operations in the area within legal frameworks, continuously monitor and assess situations, report results to the government, and communicate accurate information to the public. It can appoint subcommittees, specialized teams, or invite experts and relevant agencies to support operations to improve flexibility and effectiveness in disaster response.
Lieutenant Colonel Patdarasmi stated the government prioritizes proactive disaster management by integrating data, coordinating all agencies, and making swift decisions to prevent and reduce flood and drought impacts while promptly assisting people. The government will closely monitor situations and prepare fully to safeguard lives and property.
Meanwhile, the DDPM proposed preparedness plans and warning systems for the area; the Meteorological Department, together with the National Research Council, presented weather forecasts, climate trends, and target area projections; and the Office of the National Water Resources and the Royal Irrigation Department reported on water management, flow monitoring, and flood maps. Governors of northern provinces such as Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nan, and others totaling 17 provinces, presented provincial-level preparedness plans, including rapid flood-risk management and groundwater reserve plans with the Department of Groundwater Resources to address drought.
After receiving reports from agencies and provinces, Yotsanan assigned tasks and directives to drive concrete problem-solving efforts, summarized into key measures as follows.
Eliminate bottlenecks in urgent emergency budgets – assigned the Office of the National Water Resources to coordinate with provinces to review urgently needed disaster prevention projects lacking sufficient budgets, expedite detailed proposals to central authorities for timely allocation to address problems on the ground swiftly and avoid delays impacting the public.
Establish a Command & Control system and set up a 24-hour War Room – directed the secretariat and DDPM to collaborate with local agencies to closely monitor situations. If severe warning signs or abnormal water levels are detected, reports and coordination must go directly to DDPM and provincial governors for immediate action.
Integrate innovation and "Shelter" collaboration with local universities – assigned working teams to cooperate with university networks in the North to prepare temporary shelters and incorporate technologies such as drones for area surveys, telemetry systems, and warning applications to enhance evacuation efficiency and public assistance.
Accelerate key projects and comprehensive flood-drought preparedness – urged fast implementation of river dredging projects for main rivers like the Nan River, which has 18 vulnerable points, and dredging to improve flow in the Yom River, along with preparing water storage plans to prevent drought crises in advance.
Yotsanan concluded that this effort applies lessons and experiences from past years, emphasizing close involvement of local administrative organizations to ensure communication and assistance reach affected communities truly and swiftly.
