CITING ITS likely impact of further impoverishing already vulnerable rice farmers, some academics and farming leaders are slamming a proposed new national water-use policy that would tax farmers for irrigating their fields.

Water Resources Department director-general Worasart Aphaiphong, as secretary of National Water Resources Committee, has spoken about government plans to increase efficiency in water use.

Thailand had a risk of water shortages, said Worasart, proposing a solution that includes collecting tariffs for farm irrigation and other business and industry uses. Tariffs would be enforced through a new Water Resource Act.

In the volume-based billing system, water costs would range from Bt0.5 per cubic metre of water for agriculture and animal husbandry, Bt1-Bt3 per cubic metre for tourism-oriented businesses, restaurants, and recreation businesses, and more than Bt3 per cubic metre for large-scale use such as large farms, industry, and power generation.

Economics lecturer Decharut Sukkumnoed from Kasetsart University, is concerned that the seemingly sensible approach would end up further hurting already struggling farm families. Collecting a water bill from farmers would intensify their financial difficulties by generating a new expense at a time when increased farming costs and decreased crop prices are already resulting in deficits among small farmers.

“This policy will be a huge blow for the farmers, especially for rice farmers, because they have already suffered from deficits in selling rice. The cost for planting rice is increasing, while the rice price is plummeting,” Decharut said.

He questioned how the government would gauge the amount of water tapped by each user and calculate an appropriate price. Irrigated water is delivered in a different way from tap water, making it very hard to measure how much water a particular farm uses.

Moreover, Decharut asked what the government would do with the collected water tariff fee, which could run as high as Bt50 billion per year.

“I suggest that if the government wants to improve the water use efficiency, they could do so without harming the farmers,” he said. For example, the government could create positive incentives that encourage users to more efficiently use water rather than hit them with a water tax, or could promote use of efficient technology and make it widely available for all.

“Overall, I think that this measure is too tough on farmers and there is no guarantee that it would work to conserve water.”

A farmer from Yasothon Duangchai Chancharoen feared that farmers would incur even further debt if the policy is implemented, adding to the current financial distress caused by high costs of planting rice but low selling prices. “Many people in my village are very concerned about this news. We are already suffering from low rice price and we barely get any profit from planting rice,” Duangchai said.

“And even though our village has access to irrigated water, we often do not get that water because we are at the end of an irrigation canal. Our people rely heavily on rainwater. This makes us wonder how the government will calculate the water usage fee in our case.”

Worasart is convinced that his government’s proposal would improve the country’s water management. Economic impacts on farmers could be avoided by invoking Article 47 of new Water Resource Bill to waive water bills for those who did not benefit from using water, he said.

BOX:

Irrigation water prices 

Bt0.5 per cubic metre of water:

50-1,000 rai paddy fields

50-1,000 rai sugar cane plantations

25-200 rai fruit orchards

20-200 rai vegetable farms

10-50 rai fish farms

20-200 cows

5,000-20,000 chickens

30-1,000 pigs

1,000-50,000 ducks

Bt1-Bt3 per cubic metre of water:

Tourism industry, hotels, recreational activities, restaurants

Bt3 per cubic metre of water:

Golf courses, small-scale power generation, tap water

More than Bt3 per cubic metre of water:

Large-scale farming and industry, large-scale power generation, other large-scale businesses that use large amounts of water per the National Water Resource Committee

Source: Water Resource Department