CityNews – 10am on 12th March 2019, Chiang Mai Provincial Hall. A group of 100 villagers from eight villages in Mae Taeng District’s Baan Tung Luang came to hand in a letter to the governor of Chiang Mai complaining about adverse effects from the check dams built by the Irrigation Department in their area.
According to the letter, after the first check dam project was completed, villagers became increasingly concerned at the quality of workmanship as well as how disruptive the construction was to the community, citing dust, noise and negative effects to the environment. Once completed the dam is expected to hold up to three million cubic litres of water, which the villagers fear could cause a disaster as they do not think that the quality of the construction is within safety limits. They have asked the governor to look into the problem.