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Abstract:
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The purposes of this research are to study the living condition of communities, and the quality of life of people affected from water diversion tunnel in the Project to Increase the Water Volume of the Mae Kuang Udom Tara Dam, Chiang Mai Province under Royal Irrigation Department and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The information that presented in this research are collected from the interviews with communities’ leaders and affected households in 3 Subdistricts; Mae Hor Phra and Baan Pao in Mae Taeng District and Doi Luang in Doisaket District, Chiang Mai province. There were 100 households each or 300 households in total. The impact analysis was focused on the overall effect on the communities and individual household. The living condition analysis was focused on social and economic aspects.
The result of Mae Hor Pra Subdistrict found that most of the local people earn their living by working as employees or doing agriculture such as rice and corn growing. The average monthly income of each household is approximately about 10,623 Baht. When the tunnel had built, there was only 13 percentages of them that shift their careers to work as workers in the projects. Those small percentages of people work as workers, such as stone carriers and security guards which did not change the social economic condition. For the overall effect on the communities, it found that the tunnel had an environmental impacts on forest conditions in the communities. The forest which was the source of natural agriculture water was destroyed. The analysis of living condition showed that the local people did not expect the tunnel building would have any impact on their living. This was because they had not known the benefit of the tunnel after it was successfully built.
The result of Luang Nua Subdistrict found that most of the local people were workers, or running their own businesses. Their monthly income is about 12,474 baht. There is only 38 percentages of the local people that change their careers to work with the projects such as, cement worker, driver, housekeeper, mechanical engineer, stone driver, quality control assistant, tunnel technician, geologist, and administrator. The career changing of the local did not have any impact on their economic condition. The general effect on the community was mainly about air pollution because the construction created more dust. The roads in community were damaged because of the heavy weight of transport trucks, and the excess influx of workers from outside areas. The analysis of living condition found that the tunnel building had not changed their living condition. The local people’s opinion toward the tunnel building was positive since they consider the project might bring up more job opportunity for their community members. They also think that there would be more water supplies for people living in both Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces.
The result of Tambon Baan Pao District found that most of the villagers live their lives on agriculture, rice and corn cultivation. The monthly income of each household was 9,029 Baht on average. There were only 4 percentages of the people changing their careers to work with the project, as security guards. The career changing of those villagers did not have any effect on the economic status. However, the effect on community was job mobility. Those who worked for the project would be unemployed after the project was finished. The study of living condition revealed that the local people agreed that there was no impact on this issue. This may be because they did not know the benefits of the project.
Keywords: Impacts, Economic and Social, Tunnel, Mae Kuang Udom Tara Dam, Quality of life
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