Members of the National Reform Council have called for an independent environmental agency to be set up under the new constitution.
NRC member Dusit Khruea-ngam yesterday welcomed the proposal, saying having an independent agency would ensure more careful reviews of projects that affect the environment.
“We have independent organisations in many areas, such as the Thailand Development Research Institute, to focus on social and economic development issues. However, we need one more for environmental aspects to ensure that the Kingdom’s environment is well examined from every side,” he said during the NRC debate on proposals for the upcoming constitution. 4
This feedback came after Pramote Maiklad, chairman of the NRC sub-panel on natural resources and the environment, presented his panel’s proposal for the 2015 constitution.
There were nine points in the proposal, including getting the public to take a greater role in managing coastal resources, reforming city plans to be more up-to-date, establishing an environmental court and undertaking strategic environmental assessments (SEAs).
Sayhumporn Limthai, another NRC member, echoed Dusit, saying that an independent environmental agency would be able to comment on environmental projects - and project approvals - and whether they should be implemented or turned down.
Sayhumporn also suggested that local bodies such as Tambon Administrative Organisations (TAOs) should be able to arrange the disposal of waste.
“Nowadays, daily garbage is mostly transferred to other provinces that have potential for garbage management. However, the TAOs in each province should be able to operate this and not be a burden on other provinces,” he said.
Hannarong Yaowalers, from the NRC sub-panel on natural resources and the environment, said environmental impact assessments or health impact assessments should no longer be approved by bodies such as the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Meanwhile, Orapin Sopchokchai agreed that more aspects should be included in strategic environmental assessments (SEAs), as per a proposal by the sub-panel. She said SEAs should be parallel to EHIAs and EIAs, to widen the focus on aspects of projects that could have major environmental impacts.
“This would give more capacity for environmental protection, because EIAs sometimes cannot cover all aspects of environmental impact and the problems that are caused in local communities,” Orapin said.
