ESG Global
“The journey began in 2007, when community leaders from Ban Mab Chan, Klaeng Subdistrict, Rayong Province, reached out to SCG Chemicals (SCGC) to seek support and knowledge in building check dams—an effort to restore the once-dry Khao Yada, an important watershed that sustains local farmers and their livelihoods. This initiative marked the beginning of the ‘Khao Yada Watershed Forest Restoration Project,’ bringing together SCGC, the local community, and partner networks. Together, they strengthened the community’s capacity to manage its water resources independently and sustainably.”
“Today, the project has evolved into a model for sharing knowledge and building ‘water resilience’ across other agricultural areas—helping farmers increase agricultural productivity, improve household incomes, and create new opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. This success clearly demonstrates that ‘water security’ can build the resilience and long-term security of a community.”
Wandee Inprom (Kamnan Wandee), Subdistrict Headwoman and representative of the Ban Mab Chan Community Water Management Group, Rayong explained that the journey to solving the community’s water issues began when she saw SCG’s water management and check-dam projects in Lampang on television. She decided to reach out for assistance through Forestry Department officers, even though SCGC’s factory was located far away in Map Ta Phut, Rayong. The collaboration was agreed upon in less than half a month because SCGC was already prepared to support projects aligned with the Royal Initiatives.
At the starting phase, residents from all 11 villages (comprising a population of over 1,600 people) joined the project without any hesitation. This was deeply inspired by the prestige and royal initiatives of King Rama IX, as the villagers yearned to see Khao Yai Da return to being lush and fertile like the royal project areas they saw on TV.
Today, the community has successfully transformed Khao Yai Da into “Khao Pho” (Father Mountain), driven by the inspiration created by ‘Father’. Kamnan Wandee expressed deep gratitude for His Majesty’s philosophy on “living check dams” (ฝายมีชีวิต), which teaches that even if a check dam is damaged or “dies,” the community can always join hands to repair it and bring it back to life.
• Water Resources Survey and the “Hand-made Map”
Because there were no public water reservoirs or public dams in the area, the 284 households in the subdistrict relied entirely on groundwater and mountain water for agriculture and daily consumption. To determine their actual water capital, Kamnan Wandee initiated a survey where villagers from 6 community clusters (คุ้มบ้าน) went out to inspect their local wells and canals in detail. They measured the width, length, and depth of each well to calculate the water volume of each household, compiling the data into a “hand-made map”. This gave the community an accurate picture of their total water assets.
Even today, the community continues to record daily water data and average temperatures to pass down to future generations. Every morning, they report water levels across 4 key locations and rainfall measurements via a network group to keep all villagers fully informed of their water situation.
• Water Rules and Self-Reliance
To build resilience against droughts, the community held public forums to establish mutual rules, limiting each household’s water usage to 30 units per month. During the dry season, the system alternates the water supply by shutting off and opening valves for individual alleys (e.g., closing an alley from 7:00 AM today until 7:00 AM the next day) to allow households to take turns pumping water into backup tanks. Every household agreed to purchase and prepare these backup tanks.
Furthermore, the community chose not to rely on the provincial waterworks system due to concerns over insufficient water pressure that could burst pipes, as well as worries about muddy red water or sudden outages. Instead, they chose self-reliance through a village water system powered by groundwater, costing only 10 THB per unit (compared to the provincial rate of 17 THB per unit). Kamnan Wandee also set up a rainwater harvesting system utilizing 4 large roof-connected water tanks to collect rainwater into a well, serving as a model of self-reliance for other villagers to follow.
• Technical Collaboration and Testing Check Dams
Kamnan Wandee highlighted the immense benefit of having collaborative partners, emphasizing that the community must first propose its own ideas and needs so external organizations know where to support. A key example is their partnership with Hydro – Informatics Institute (HII), which bridged the community’s technical gaps in water engineering. Since the villagers lacked expertise in analyzing the elevations along their 8-kilometer-long canal, building a check dam too high risked flooding upstream properties. HII stepped in to measure these elevations, enabling the community to build check dams at appropriate and safe locations.
For construction and maintenance, volunteers and local organizations (such as factories from Map Ta Phut and local groups from Chiang Rai) regularly rotate to help. Additionally, Kamnan Wandee has a unique quality-test for check dams: after construction, 10 to 12 people must stand in a row on the dam for a photo to test its weight capacity. If the dam does not sag or collapse, it is certified as meeting their standards of strength.
• Agricultural and Business Model Transformation
Systematic water management has restored the area’s water supply to 100% capacity, prompting farmers to convert their lands entirely into durian orchards, now spanning over 8,000 rai. This abundance allowed them to shift their business model to selling “ripe durians” directly to consumers at 100 THB per kilogram, which yields a far better price and weight than selling raw durians in bulk to middlemen.
They heavily market their “ancient durians” (some over 70 years old), which are famous for their thin peels and sticky, rich texture. Through training provided by SCGC, local youth have learned digital marketing and e-commerce, allowing them to connect with consumers online and even travel to sell durians in Bangkok, earning over 100,000 THB in just a two-night trip.
Beyond durians, the community practices mixed-fruit farming, grows a “5-level forest” alongside herbs, and runs a community enterprise for processed goods, such as “Banana Chips,” which are fried immediately after harvesting for ultimate freshness. They also generate extra income through experiential homestay tourism, where tourists live with hosts, harvest herbs, and learn to cook local dishes or curry paste. Kamnan Wandee always teaches villagers never to put money first, but to prioritize honesty, responsibility, and service from the heart.
• Passing the Torch to the Next Generation and Overall Success
Looking forward, Kamnan Wandee’s goal is to see the younger generation learn and inherit the water database, canals, and well records to manage family farms and further develop the community enterprise to sell high-quality processed products. This ensures sustainable, self-reliant careers for the youth without needing to find employment elsewhere or rely on middlemen.
They have also successfully mentored the Ban Hua Thung community using the “2 Cultivate 2 Collect” Model which comprises of Cultivating Human Potential, Cultivating Rules, Collecting Water Resources, and Collecting Data, helping them secure year-round water for 300 rai of agricultural land benefiting over 90 households.
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