On 4 April 2019, M.L. Dispanadda Diskul, CEO of Mae Fah Luang Foundation, together with Tachileik Township, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, inaugurated the Nam Moei Check Dam to combat flood and drought for the benefit of villagers and farmers, to provide them with year-round access to water, and to develop the area’s potential as a travel destination to create a sustainable income. Also attending the event, which took place at Mong Lin, Tachileik Township, Republic of
the Union of Myanmar, were representatives of the government sector, ONCB, the private sector and the general public. The Nam Moei Check Dam was a collaborative effort between the people of Mong Lin, with Mae Fah Luang Foundation providing the know-how, technical support, materials and equipment based on King Rama IX’s development principles using the people-centric approach. Local villagers need to play a participatory role at every stage of the project, starting with declaring their problems and needs, designing the project and implementing the development programme by themselves in order to create a sense of ownership, so they can eventually scale up and expand the development project on their own in the future beyond the project’s completion. The check dam has been successful in alleviating the flood problems that the people of Mong Lin had been facing for several years. During the dry months, the check dam will enable villagers to collect water for household use as well as for farming, increasing yield and
crops, as well as their annual income. It also has the potential to be developed into a new travel destination.