Thailand's 165-billion-baht Chai Nat-Pa Sak-Gulf flood diversion canal is to begin construction in fiscal 2027

19 October 2026

The Thai Cabinet has approved the Chai Nat-Pa Sak-Gulf of Thailand flood diversion canal, a decision Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced at Government House on 29 September 2026. The project is costed at THB165 billion, part of it to be financed through government borrowing, and is planned over eight years. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives proposed it, with the Finance Ministry, the Budget Bureau and the National Economic and Social Development Council involved in the funding arrangements. On 19 October 2026 the government said construction would begin in fiscal year 2027. The canal will divert Chao Phraya River water through Chai Nat and the Pa Sak River into the Gulf of Thailand and will also act as a retention basin storing water for the dry season. It is meant to cut flows towards Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Bangkok in peak flood season. Anutin said the state spends 40 to 50 billion baht a year on short-term flood relief.