EMPHASIS ON DISTRIBUTION: STRATEGIES FOR SMALL SCALE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN THAILAND1

This paper discusses strategies for the development of water resources, emphasizing the delivery of reliable water supplies, for both domestic and production purposes, to every village and to every farmer. This necessitates a shift of emphasis from the construction of large storage reservoirs to the construction, operation, and maintenance of water distribution systems capable of reaching the largest number of farms, and a shift from projects that benefit the few, to projects that benefit the many. Water distribution in this context takes on three interrelated meanings: a geographical meaning, a technical meaning, and an economic meaning. The geographical meaning focuses on the spatial distribution of the recipient population as a key to identifying the proper distribution of water projects in physical space. The technical meaning relates to the physical distribution of water through canal systems to the farmers' fields. The economic meaning refers to the equitable distribution of benefits from water projects. The paper provides an illustration of the need for an emphasis on distribution, using the state of development of water resources in northeast Thailand as an example, with a proposed program for the further development of these resources. The northeast, the poorest region in the country, has been recognized by the Government of Thailand as a priority area for accelerated regional development efforts.     

中老缅泰交界地区土地利用变化信息挖掘与国别对比

基于Landsat TM/ETM数据,从土地利用空间分布特征、时空变化规律、土地利用程度三个方面,对中老缅泰交界地区1990-2010年土地利用变化特征进行分析。研究表明：① 橡胶园、茶园为增幅最大的土地利用类型,轮歇农地、建设用地、长期性农地也有一定幅度的增加,有林地、灌木林、草地、水域有所减少。② 有林地、灌木林之间的转移及其与长期农地、轮歇农地、橡胶园之间的转移,决定着中老缅泰交界地区土地利用变化特征。中老缅泰交界地区土地利用变化本质上受到市场经济、国家政策、人口迁移、基础设施建设等因素的影响。③ 橡胶园和茶园的时空变化基本表现为面积净值增加,空间位置交换变化非常小。长期农地面积变化不大,但存在较大幅度的空间位置转变;水域、轮歇农地变化以空间位置交换为主。草地、灌木林、有林地、建设用地交换变化和净变化比例相当。④ 1990-2010年,中老缅泰交界地区土地利用程度有所增加,其中,泰国境内土地利用程度最高,老挝和缅甸境内的土地利用程度最低。2000年后中老缅泰交界地区土地利用程度增幅明显加大。其中,中国和缅甸境内土地利用程度后期增幅减小,泰国境内土地利用程度后期增幅变大,老挝境内土地利用程度实现了由前期减少到后期增加的转变。     

曼谷湾沉积物重金属元素的富集效应与生物有效性

2010年在曼谷湾(泰国湾北部)及其北部主要河口(湄干河、拉塞河、湄南河和邦巴功河)采集了46个表层沉积物样品,分析了样品中重金属元素(Cd、Co、Cu、Pb、Zn)的含量水平,并用Al均一化数据,获得消除了粒度效应的重金属地球化学特征.利用1mol/L的HCl对该区沉积物进行了处理,通过分析沉积物重金属在酸溶相和残渣相的分布,揭示其生物有效性.结果表明,曼谷湾周边河流沉积物中重金属元素含量明显高于曼谷湾;曼谷湾沉积物中重金属(Co、Cu、Pb、Zn)从北向南随着离岸距离的增加而增加,Cd没有明显分布规律;地累积指数显示Cd和Pb存在显著的地球化学富集特征.Cd和Pb在酸溶相中的比例相对较高,表明其生物有效性较高,易引发二次污染.     

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers in an MDF furniture factory in eastern Thailand

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors contributing to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among 439 workers in an MDF furniture factory using questionnaires and the risk assessment form of the Ergonomic Assessment Tool for Arthritis technique to assess aspects of the workstations and working postures of jobs. With regard to factors that affected MSDs, it was found that workers older than 50 years were having knee symptoms: their adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 18.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.51, 226.40]. Those who had been working for 1–2 years were having neck pain symptoms: aOR 12.01, 95% CI [1.82, 79.43]. The recommendation of this study is that health monitoring should be provided for workers who have pain in various parts of their bodies, especially those who have been working for 6–10 years, and those who are over 50 years old with knee pain.     

Evaluation method of automobile recycling systems for Asia considering international material cycles: application to Japan and Thailand

To examine an appropriate recycling system for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) from Japan in the context of Asia, an Asian international automobile recycling input-output (AI-ARIO) analysis is presented. The AI-ARIO analysis spatially expands the existing ARIO analysis within the framework of the waste input-output (WIO) analysis developed by Nakamura et al., which considers the interdependence between the flow of goods and wastes in a country. This analysis focuses on the local and global cycles for ELVs in Asia and can evaluate the environmental and economic effects of alternative recycling systems. We estimated the AI-ARIO table for Japan and Thailand and applied it to scenario analyses covering the restriction of ELV trade between the two countries, the introduction of new recycling techniques in Thailand, and centralized treatment in Japan. We verified the applicability and effectiveness of the AI-ARIO analysis through the scenario analyses.     

Evaluation of a hospital-based injury surveillance system for monitoring road traffic deaths in Phuket,Thailand

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate and injury surveillance (IS) system’s ability to monitor road traffic deaths and the coverage of road traffic injury and death surveillance in Phuket, Thailand.

Methods: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on surveillance system evaluation were used to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate IS. Interviews with key stakeholders focused on IS’s usefulness, simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, and stability. Active case finding of 2014 road traffic deaths in all paper and electronic hospital record systems was used to assess system sensitivity, positive predictive value, and data quality. Electronic data matching software was used to determine the implications of combining IS data with other provincial-level data sources (e.g., death certificates, electronic vehicle insurance claim system).

Results: Evaluation results indicated that IS was useful, flexible, acceptable, and stable, with a high positive predictive value (99%). Simplicity was limited due to the burden of collecting data on all injuries and use of paper-based data collection forms. Sensitivity was low, with IS only identifying 55% of hospital road traffic death cases identified during active case finding; however, IS cases were representative of cases identified. Data accuracy and completeness varied across data fields. Combining IS with active case finding, death certificates, and the electronic vehicle insurance claim system more than doubled the number of road traffic death cases identified in Phuket.

Conclusion: An efficient and comprehensive road traffic injury and death surveillance system is critical for monitoring Phuket’s road traffic burden. The hospital-based IS system is a useful system for monitoring road traffic deaths and assessing risk behaviors. However, the complexity of data collection and limited coverage hinders the ability of IS to fully represent road traffic deaths in Phuket Province. Combining data sources could improve coverage and should be considered.     

Appropriate technology for municipal sewerage/excreta management in developing countries, Thailand case study

Design criteria for planning urban sewerage/excreta management systems appropriate for developing countries as distinguished from affluent industrialized country practices.     

Impact of crude oil price volatility on economic activities: An empirical investigation in the Thai economy

This paper empirically examines the impact of oil price volatility on key macroeconomic indicators of Thailand. Following Andersen et al. [2004. Analytical evaluation of volatility forecasts. International Economic Review 45(4), 1079–1110], quarterly oil price volatility is measured by using the realized volatility (RV). The impact of the oil price volatility is investigated using the vector auto-regression (VAR) system. The Granger causality test, impulse response functions, and variance decomposition show that oil price volatility has significant impact on macroeconomic indicators, such as unemployment and investment, over the period from 1993Q1 to 2006Q4. Perron's [1997. Further evidence on breaking trend functions in macroeconomic variables. Journal of Econometrics 80(2), 355–385] test identifies structural breaks in all the concerned variables during the time of the Asian Financial Crisis (1997–1998). A VAR for the post-crisis period shows that the impact of oil price volatility is transmitted to budget deficit. The floating exchange rate regime introduced after the crisis may be the key contributor to this new channel of impact.     

Paraquat Adsorption,Degradation, and Remobilization in Tropical Soils of Thailand

Paraquat adsorption, degradation, and remobilization were investigated in representative tropical soils of Yom River Basin, Thailand. Adsorption of paraquat in eight soil samples using batch equilibration techniques indicated that adsorption depended on soil characteristics, including exchangeable basic cations and iron content. Multiple regression analysis indicated significant contribution of exchangeable calcium percentage (ECP), total iron content (TFe) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) to paraquat sorption (Q). ESP and TFe were significant at all adsorption stages, whereas ESP was significant only at the initial stage of paraquat adsorption. Adsorption studies using two soils representing clay and sandy loam textures showed that paraquat adsorption followed the Freundlich model, exhibiting a nonlinear sorption curve. Paraquat adsorption was higher in the clay soil compared to the sandy loam soil with K _f values of 787 and 18, respectively. Desorption was low with 0.04 to 0.17% and 0.80 to 5.83% desorbed in clay and sandy loam soil, respectively, indicating some hysteresis effect. Time-dependent paraquat adsorption fitted to the Elovich kinetic model indicated that diffusion was a rate-limiting process. Paraquat mobility and degradation studies conducted using both field and laboratory soil column experiments with clay soil showed low mobility of paraquat with accumulation only in the surface 0–5 cm layer under field conditions and in the 0–1 cm layer in a laboratory soil column experiment. Degradation of paraquat in soil was faster under field conditions than at ambient laboratory conditions. The degradation rate followed a first-order kinetic model with the DT₅₀ at 36–46 days and DT₉₀ around 119–152 days.     

The Importance of Supratidal Habitats for Wintering Shorebirds and the Potential Impacts of Shrimp Aquaculture

Intensive black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) aquaculture ponds have replaced significant areas of coastal wetlands throughout tropical Asia. Few studies have assessed potential impacts on avian foraging habitats. At Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park, Thailand, seminatural wetlands have been converted to either shrimp ponds or to salinization ponds that provide saline water for shrimp aquaculture. Although shorebirds cannot feed in aquaculture ponds, hypersaline ponds can provide productive foraging areas. Thus, the overall impact of the shrimp industry on shorebirds depends partly on the relative quality of the salt ponds compared to seminatural wetlands. In this study, we examined wintering shorebird use of tidal (N = 5 sites) and supratidal areas (four wetland sites, four salt pond sites) and compared the shorebird community (14 species), prey availability, profitability, and disturbance rates between wetlands and salt ponds. Two shorebird species fed in higher densities in wetlands, whereas seven species were more abundant in salt ponds. Large juvenile fish and dragonfly larvae were more abundant in wetlands, whereas there were more small Chironomid midge and fly larvae in salt ponds. We conclude that salt ponds might provide higher-quality foraging habitats compared to wetlands for small shorebirds species because of the abundance of small larvae. However, the shrimp aquaculture industry reduces habitat availability for shorebirds feeding on larger prey. This study demonstrates a comprehensive, multispecies approach to assess the impacts of a large-scale change in coastal habitats for wintering shorebirds.