Govt denies political bias in groundwater budget allocation

MGR Online•Politics•19d ago

Reader Briefing

The government spokesperson clarifies that groundwater project distributions align with constituency winners and area numbers rather than political favoritism.

•Lalida Perdviwattana addressed Rakchanok Srinok's observation regarding 858 groundwater projects worth 6,541.98 million baht.
•The government stated that the increase in projects in Bhumjaithai Party areas corresponds to the increase in their constituency MPs from 68 in 2023 to 172 in 2026.
•People's Party areas received the highest average budget per project at approximately 7.81 million baht.
•Opposition party Kla Tham received 142 projects, ranking third in total projects.

Overview

•On August 6, 2026, Lalida Perdviwattana addressed concerns raised by Rakchanok Srinok regarding the groundwater budget.
•Lalida Perdviwattana stated that the budget allocation for 858 community groundwater security projects is not based on political party affiliation.
•Lalida Perdviwattana noted Bhumjaithai Party's constituency MPs increased 2.53 times between 2023 and 2026, while projects in their areas increased 2.42 times.
•Lalida Perdviwattana clarified that these 858 projects are original projects with original budgets and coordinates, and only the constituency boundaries and winners changed.
•Lalida Perdviwattana reported that the People's Party received the highest average budget per project at 7.81 million baht, exceeding Bhumjaithai Party's 7.64 million baht.
•Lalida Perdviwattana highlighted that the opposition Kla Tham Party received an average of 2.45 projects per MP, which is higher than the government's Pheu Thai Party at 2.04 projects per MP.
•Lalida Perdviwattana mentioned Palang Pracharath Party projects decreased by approximately 93%, from 157 sites to 11 sites.
•Lalida Perdviwattana explained that budget differences per site are caused by engineering facts and area conditions, such as well depth and pipe length.

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Key Quotes

Lalida Perdviwattana

"Groundwater wells have not moved a single location; what has changed are the constituency boundaries and the winners in each area."

บ่อบาดาลไม่ได้ย้ายตำแหน่งแม้แต่แห่งเดียว สิ่งที่เปลี่ยนคือเส้นเขตเลือกตั้งและผู้ชนะในแต่ละเขต

Lalida Perdviwattana

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

วงเงินเฉลี่ยของทุกพรรคอยู่ในช่วงใกล้เคียงกันระหว่างประมาณ 7.50–7.81 ล้านบาทต่อแห่ง และพื้นที่ของพรรคประชาชนได้รับวงเงินเฉลี่ยสูงที่สุดด้วยซ้ำ

Key Entities

Person

Lalida Perdviwattana(ลลิดา เพริศวิวัฒนา)

Deputy Government Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office.

Rakchanok Srinok(รักชนก ศรีนอก)

List proportion Member of Parliament for 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 that saw an increase in constituency MPs and corresponding project numbers between 2023 and 2026.

Pheu Thai Party(พรรคเพื่อไทย)ℹ️

A government coalition party that had the most projects in its areas based on 2023 constituency maps.

Kla Tham Party(พรรคกล้าธรรม)

An opposition party that received 142 projects, ranking third in total projects.

Palang Pracharath Party(พรรคพลังประชารัฐ)ℹ️

A current government coalition party that experienced a 93 percent decrease in projects in its areas.

Democrat Party(พรรคประชาธิปัตย์)

A political party that received an average budget of approximately 7.52 million baht per project.