Govt clarifies groundwater budget distribution among political parties

Thairath•Politics•20d ago

Reader Briefing

The government deputy spokesperson defended the groundwater development budget distribution against allegations of political favoritism.

•Lalida Perisvawattana addressed observations by Rakchanok Srinok regarding the concentration of groundwater projects in Bhumjaithai Party areas.
•The government stated that project distribution reflects the number of MPs and electoral districts won by each party.
•The People's Party areas received the highest average budget per project at approximately 7.81 million baht.
•The Kla Dharma Party, an opposition party, ranked third in the total number of projects received.

Overview

•On August 6, 2026, Lalida Perisvawattana responded to observations made by Rakchanok Srinok regarding groundwater project budgets.
•Rakchanok Srinok observed that 858 groundwater projects totaling 6,541.98 million baht were concentrated in Bhumjaithai Party constituencies.
•Lalida Perisvawattana explained that the increase in projects in Bhumjaithai Party areas correlates with the increase in their constituency MPs from 68 in 2023 to 172 in 2026.
•The government noted that the projects were original sets with original coordinates, where Pheu Thai had the most projects (257) in 2023 before boundary changes.
•Kla Dharma Party received 142 projects totaling approximately 1,090.84 million baht, averaging 2.45 projects per MP.
•Palang Pracharat Party projects decreased from 157 to 11, a reduction of approximately 93 percent.
•Average funding per site ranged from 7.50 to 7.81 million baht, with the People's Party receiving the highest average.
•Lalida Perisvawattana stated that budget differences per site are based on engineering facts and area conditions, such as well depth and pipe length.

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Source: Thairath (Original)

Key Quotes

Lalida Perisvawattana

"Not a single groundwater well has moved position. What has changed are the constituency boundaries and the winners in each district."

บ่อบาดาลไม่ได้ย้ายตำแหน่งแม้แต่แห่งเดียว สิ่งที่เปลี่ยนคือเส้นเขตเลือกตั้งและผู้ชนะในแต่ละเขต

Lalida Perisvawattana

"The average budget for every party is in a similar range between approximately 7.50–7.81 million baht per site, and the People's Party areas even received the highest average budget."

วงเงินเฉลี่ยของทุกพรรคอยู่ในช่วงใกล้เคียงกันระหว่างประมาณ 7.50–7.81 ล้านบาทต่อแห่ง และพื้นที่ของพรรคประชาชนได้รับวงเงินเฉลี่ยสูงที่สุดด้วยซ้ำ

Key Entities

Person

Lalida Perisvawattana(ลลิดา เพริศวิวัฒนา)

The Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office.

Rakchanok Srinok(รักชนก ศรีนอก)

A list-proportional Member of Parliament from the People's Party.

Organization

People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)

A political party whose areas received the highest average budget per groundwater project.

Bhumjaithai Party(พรรคภูมิใจไทย)ℹ️

A political party with an increasing number of constituency MPs and associated groundwater projects.

Pheu Thai Party(พรรคเพื่อไทย)ℹ️

A government coalition party that had the most projects in 2023.

Kla Dharma Party(พรรคกล้าธรรม)

An opposition party that received the third highest number of projects.

Palang Pracharat Party(พรรคพลังประชารัฐ)ℹ️

A current government coalition party that saw a significant decrease in the number of projects in its areas.

Democrat Party(พรรคประชาธิปัตย์)

A political party mentioned in the context of average project funding.

Policy

Groundwater Development Project for Community Security(โครงการพัฒนาน้ำบาดาลเพื่อความมั่นคงระดับชุมชน)

A project consisting of 858 sites with a total budget of 6,541.98 million baht.