In a move designed to boost water planning effectiveness and natural disaster prevention, a central database operation at the 13-year-old Mekhla Centre – which the premier inspected yesterday – will gather and integrate all water-related data from concerned agencies.

“The integrated information will result in better water planning for various groups of water users while preventing and mitigating water-related disasters,” Prayut said.

“The centre will be of importance to the country as we have various groups of water users with different needs. We need to re-manage the whole system in regards to the resources including our databases. It must result in systematic water management from now on.”

Thailand has faced massive losses from flood and drought damages, particularly in 2011 when the country was hit with its worst flooding in 100 years. Tens of thousands of people were affected for months, especially those living in the Central Plains, and damage was estimated at billions of baht.

This year, major flooding in the South affected thousands of residents and their properties.

The National Water Resources Committee in November assigned the Water Resources Department to set up the national database centre to bring together scattered information so that concerned agencies could create better databases for planning.

Worasart Apaipong, the department’s chief, said the centre was ready to be upgraded as it had already linked data from 35 water-related agencies.

The models to run all 25 prime watersheds will be operational by May next year, he added.

The database at the centre will include water forecasts, warnings, water planning and future strategies, he said.