Chanthaburi residents oppose the dam project, bringing together 20,000 signatures to collectively resist the construction of the “Khlong Wang Tonot reservoir,” emphasizing the protection of the 15-layer mountain forest for their descendants.
At 14:45 on 8 Nov 2026 GMT+7, at Chamai Maruchet Bridge in front of the Government House, Mr. Patcharadnai Jaitieng, a representative of the affected people of Chanthaburi, stated that he represented the people of Chanthaburi to submit a letter to the Cabinet following its approval on 5 August to build the Khlong Wang Tonot reservoir. The residents of Chanthaburi have consistently opposed this project and today have collected about 20,000 signatures to oppose it, arguing that the reservoir does not benefit the local people and will destroy natural resources within the Khao 15 Chan National Park, which their ancestors have cherished and preserved until now.
Meanwhile, Mr. Santi Tansrisakul, a durian farmer from Chanthaburi, revealed that the government had already constructed three reservoirs, all of which supply water to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development areas in Chonburi and Rayong provinces. The people of Chanthaburi have not benefited from these reservoirs, as they were built to support the EEC, requiring large water storage. During the rainy season, these reservoirs cannot accommodate additional rainfall, causing floods that damage homes and fruit orchards in Chanthaburi, resulting in tree deaths. Considering the high costs of durian cultivation, this is a significant loss. Conversely, during the dry season, residents must buy expensive water for use. Therefore, locals oppose the construction of a fourth reservoir and suggest that the 7.2 billion baht budget would be better spent managing water in the existing three reservoirs to benefit the people.
Additionally, the reservoirs have caused conflicts between people and wild elephants. When flatlands are converted into reservoirs, elephants lose their habitat and come to feed in villagers’ orchards, leading to confrontations. Elephants eating fruit in orchards have led residents to apply poison to fruits, resulting in the deaths of 11 elephants. This illustrates the real consequences of the reservoir projects.
In Chanthaburi province, which has 10 districts and more than 900,000 rai of orchards, eight districts have experienced flooding. The question is: how can orchard farmers live under these conditions? The residents want the government to promote other developments such as reducing fuel prices, lowering electricity costs, and subsidizing fertilizer prices, rather than building reservoirs.
