Natural Resources

In Yala province, locals push back against government dam project

A group of Yala villagers confronted the deputy prime minister over a $110 million dam project the government says is needed for flood prevention. Locals are concerned the plan will devastate the Pattani River ecosystem their communities depend on.

By
Asmadi Bueheng

Published 13 November 2025
3 min read

Yala – It was a quiet but determined protest. Around 70 villagers lined up outside Yala Rajabhat University on 8 November as Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat Prompao arrived, delivering a clear message: cancel the dam that threatens their river.

Women in headscarves held up hand-drawn illustrations of fish species. Others gripped green “No dam” banners. One white banner read: “Dams are not the final answer, but a development discourse that creates disaster.”

The Pattani River Network is opposing a 3.565 billion baht (about 110 million USD) water gate project they say will devastate the ecosystem their fishing and farming communities depend on.

The government insists the dam is needed for flood prevention. But activists point out it’s based on a 1967 development plan, nearly 60 years out of date, that doesn’t reflect how the land is actually used today.

Calls for an alternative approach

Sohabudin Laoyapa, 29, coordinator of the Pattani River Network, said submitting the open letter to the agriculture minister was a way to show the community’s position and remind the government that they want the Krong Pinang water gate project terminated. The community had already submitted letters to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre and former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in February.

The community’s key proposal, Sohabudin said, is to stop the water gate project and consider water management approaches based on Green River principles that prioritise river ecology and equitable use.

Rather than building concrete barriers, this approach works with natural flood cycles, restores wetlands, and improves urban drainage systems. The community argues this would address flooding without destroying the river ecosystem that sustains their livelihoods.

Pattaniyah Mama, 43, from Ban Rueap, said they brought photographs of local fish species and detailed maps showing how the community uses the river to reflect the community’s relationship with the Pattani River.

“Please have the minister cancel the Krong Pinang water gate project, not just review and study it again,” Pattaniyah said.

The community has collected 1,067 signatures opposing the project and submitted them to government officials in October last year. More than 1,000 villagers attended a community forum in August to map out their opposition.

A 60-year-old plan

The Krong Pinang water gate project originated from the Pattani River Basin development plan drawn up in 1967. It was revived in 2017, with environmental impact assessments conducted between 2017 and 2019. The National Environment Board approved it in March 2023.

Waedaoh Jete, one of the protesters, said the community opposes the project because dam construction is unsuitable for the Pattani River. Governments in other countries are dismantling concrete dams and trying to let rivers flow according to their natural ways, he said.

The environmental impact assessment has been criticised as deeply flawed. Activists point out it incorrectly identifies November as the dry season in Krong Pinang, when it’s actually the peak of the rainy season.The report is incomplete, Waedaoh said, with no study of how communities use the river in other important dimensions. Project information disclosure was also not straightforward and lacked genuine participation from stakeholders, he argued.

The debate over the project intensified after late 2024 flooding hit over 43,000 households across Yala province in what residents called the worst in 30 years. Krong Pinang district was amongst the areas affected.

Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat received the open letter and said he would have the Royal Irrigation Department study and review the project. He walked around to speak with villagers protesting the dam and requested a map of the Krong Pinang waterway to take back with him.

This story is part of a collaborative reporting project between HaRDstories and Wartani, supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.