Water Management Project Following Royal Initiative at Kachanurak Village, Ban Khao Chan, Huay Thap Mon Sub-district, Kha Chamao District, Rayong Province

SCGC has been implementing the Community Water Management Project in collaboration with the local community of Khao Yai Da, Mueang district, Rayong Province, and experts since 2007. This initiative has been successful, ensuring the community has sufficient water for agriculture and daily consumption throughout the year. Furthermore, the project's water management experiences have been consolidated into a "2 Cultivate 2 Collect" model, which serves as a learning resource and a foundation for replicating this success in other communities.

Ban Khao Chan, located in Huai Thap Mon Sub-district, Khao Cha Mao District, Rayong Province, is a community adjacent to Khao Cha Mao-Khao Wong National Park. In 2019, the Ban Khao Chan community had the great privilege of being chosen as a pilot village, known as 'Kachanurak Village," in a program spanning five provinces in the eastern region. This initiative aimed to promote understanding among local residents about the behavior of elephants while also fostering a learning process, job training, savings habits, and efficient community financial management. It further strengthens community capabilities and encourages learning about community water management in line with royal initiatives, reinforcing water management for consumption, daily needs, and agriculture. This knowledge about water management, inspired by royal wisdom, has been supported by the Utokapat Foundation.

Given the region's hilly terrain, most local occupations engage in fruit farming and rubber plantations. The community independently managed to store water in hillside reservoirs but lacked a water distribution system to optimize its benefits for occupational use. Therefore, the community sought support for laying a water distribution system for combined agricultural areas around the community learning center, which spans about 5 rai. This included the installation of a solar-powered water pump, a water storage tank, and a distribution system covering the 5-rai combined agricultural plot to ensure stability in cultivation and the community's safe food supply.

The project in Khao Chan mentioned above aligns with the policies of SCGC, which aims to expand community water management to enhance the quality of life in the community. SCGC has supported the community through the Bajrasudha Kajanurak Foundation to implement the community water management project in line with the royal initiatives at Ban Khao Chan. This effort also strengthens the collaboration between SCGC and expert agencies in water management projects to facilitate knowledge exchange and pave the way for broadening the project's implementation in the future.