Problem overview:

     Integrating all Stakeholders: Outer Bangkok Ring Road is a large project. The implementation of this project i.e. the construction of the road will affect various groups of people living nearby. Therefore, a public participation programme was requested by the National Environment Board to be carried out and reported in the project EIA.

Background:

     According to the Enhancement and Conservation of the National Environmental Quality Act of 1992 (NEQA 1992) and the new Constitution of Kingdom of Thailand of 1997, both aim to encourage the public to participate in the decision-making processes. The NEQA 1992 even clearly states that public participation shall be carried out during earlier stage of a project development and through out its EIA process.

     The Department of Highways has followed the aforementioned legislation by including the public participation process in its EIA studies of road projects, especially those required EIA under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE)'s notifications. The notifications mandate some specific types and sizes of development projects that require EIA.

     The public participation study on the Southern Outer Bangkok Ring Road (SOBRR) motorway project is the additional requirement of the Expert Review Committee. The result of this study shall be incorporated and submitted together with the project EIA report to the National Environmental Board for approval.

     Project Description:

      The SOBRR project is the last portion of the Outer Bangkok Ring Road (OBRR). The SOBRR is a turnkey project as assented under the Cabinet' resolution. It is an elevated 6-lane motorway with a long 8-lane cable-stayed bridge of about 1 km across the Chao Phraya River. The total length for this portion is about 35 kms. Now approximately 14 kms section of this portion is under construction, from Rama 2 Road to Suksawasdee Road. The rest of 20.7 kms that is the present project starts from the West at Suksawasdee Road in A. Pra Pa Daeng crossing the Chao Phaya River to the East and connects to the Bang Na-Bang Pa Kong Road. The right-of-ways for this project is 50 m.

     The study area is defined as the area along the project alignment passing through 3 Amphoes of Samutprakan Province which are A. Muang, A. Pra Pa Daeng, and A. Bang Phli. The land is quite well developed.

     The major impacts of the project are concerned with resettlement and land expropriation, changes in land uses and economic activities, and some other environment issues, e.g. safety of workers, and disruption of transportation during construction, etc.

     Based on the field survey, there are 2,531 inhabitants, 21 factories/ entrepreneurs and 780 land plots within 22 communities will be directly affected by the project.

     Project Objectives:

• to ensure that the affected people and the stakeholders are informed and consulted on the key issues, problems, policy, etc.
• to promote forum for the discussion of major issues for achieving the final consensus of the identified potential conflicts.

     Targeted Groups:

• Directly affected people
  
  
• Local government officers
  
  
• Community leaders
  
  
• Representatives of the communities
  
  

     Strategy:

      Two-way communication to disseminate information and knowledge on the project to the target groups and simultaneously encourage their involvements in terms of expressing the ideas, opinions and suggestions.

     Methodology:

• Focused group discussion
  
  
• Attitude survey
  
  
• Meetings and seminar
  
  
• Presentation of information to media
  
  

     Activities performed:

• Focused Group Discussion: divide the selected 30 groups of about 343 directly effected people into several groups; inform the groups on the project background, description, progress and plans, and impacts; then listen to their views, opinions, suggestions, and comments. In the discussion, two groups of the attended people will be selected as participatory working groups.
• Attitude Survey: select 3 groups of 93 directly affected people in total comprising i) people to be relocated due to land expropriation, ii) Factories/entrepreneurs to be relocated due to land expropriation, and iii) community leaders of those effected people
• Meetings and Seminar:

     (a) Meetings: there are 3 meetings. The first meeting is the orientation meeting for the Governor of Samutprakan Province and local government officers and the other two meetings are for the participatory working groups.

     (b) Seminar: there is one seminar at the end of the study for the 30 groups of affected people, totally 300 people, to present the overall findings from the study.

• Presentation of information using proper media to continually facilitate and enhance public participation activities. The media includes the leaflet and brochures with maps, photos and illustration figures. Audio-Visual Aids such as slides, voice recording cassettes and videos have also been used during the presentation at the group meeting and seminar. Such presentation will make good impression to the audiences and also, provide the best understanding on the information being given.

     Results:

• The affected people gave a voice
  
  
• Good understanding on the SOBRR project
  
  
• Good cooperation obtained from local government officers and local people
  
  
• Strong relationship and willingness of the project-affected people to participate in the participation process
  
  
• Minimization of risk and uncertainty for project delays arising from mistrust (based on the attitude survey, about 62 % agreed to support the project)
  
  

     Future Steps:

• Propose public relation plan for next step of project implementation
  
  
• Consult and give information to the affected people in every stages of the project (detail design, land acquisition, construction, and operation)
  
  
• Effectively implement the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) addressed in the EIA report.