Bangkok:The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) are working together to secure an additional 200 million baht in funding for flood relief in Bangkok. This effort will increase the total flood relief budget to 510 million baht.
According to Thai News Agency, the funding is part of a joint payment initiative between the BMA and the government, in line with the decentralization mechanism where local authorities lead disaster management efforts with support from the DDPM. Mr. Nirat Pongsitthaworn, Director-General of the DDPM, emphasized the collaborative approach between the BMA and the government in addressing the flood relief needs.
Mr. Nirat explained that following discussions with the BMA, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, and the DDPM, the BMA has committed to contributing 500 million baht to the flood relief efforts. Initially, 310 million baht has been allocated, with plans to adjust the existing budget to raise the additional 200 million baht. This adjustment is feasible given Bangkok's budget of nearly 100 billion baht, which has just begun to be utilized at the start of the fiscal year.
The Director-General highlighted the strong partnership and mutual respect between the DDPM and the BMA, which have a history of working closely together in disaster management. He clarified that while the BMA is responsible for raising the remaining 200 million baht, the DDPM did not require the funds to be transferred. Instead, consolidating the funds into a single sum was deemed more convenient due to banking conditions. The 510 million baht total is a shared payment between the BMA and the government to efficiently manage the flood relief efforts.