A delegation headed by Mr. Chaiporn Siripornpibul, Deputy Director General of the Water Resources Department, Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment visited IWHR on July 15, 2014, tapping cooperative potentials in water and soil conservation, small hydro-power development in rural areas, more efficient water use and flood control.

IWHR President Kuang Shangfu extended his warm welcome to the delegation. As he noted, China and Thailand are friendly neighbors bound by mountains and rivers, facing similar water issues and challenges. As an affiliated institution of the Ministry of Water Resources of China, IWHR would like to give full support to the scientific cooperation and exchanges between the two countries by focusing on issues of mutual interest, e.g. IWRM, flood control and disaster mitigation, agricultural irrigation, small hydro-power development, and so on. Dr. Kuang also briefly reviewed the existing cooperation between IWHR and Thai water-related organizations in water infrastructure construction, technical consultation, water emergency response, etc. and expressed the willingness to deepen those collaborations.

Mr. Chaiporn Siripornpibul thanked IWHR for providing the warm hospitality. He briefed on the responsibilities and functions of the Department of Water Resources, Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and introduced a series of plans implemented in Northeast Thailand, covering infrastructure upgrading and rehabilitation, inter-basin water transfer and diversion projects. Mr. Siripornpibul said that it would bring opportunities to Thailand by learning from China’s experiences and best practices in water management, disaster mitigation, irrigation and small hydropower development. He also looked forward to substantial cooperation with IWHR.