In the second half of 2024, 42 out of the 77 Thai provinces faced flooding. At least 50 people were killed and billions of baht were lost in damages to property and farmland. The flooding was particularly severe in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. In the central district of Chiang Mai, the Ping River overflowed for the first time. Thousands were evacuated by boat.

So what caused it all? The release of water from hydropower dams upstream, particularly in China and Laos, causes acute flooding and erodes the river banks.

Encroachment on the river – by building structures next to the banks or that jut into the river itself – blocks drainage and prevents construction of flood barriers.

But the larger issue is deforestation, partly for mining activities but mostly to plant feed crops for animal agriculture. Forests don’t just absorb carbon, they also absorb water, and when we cut them down, the water cascades down the fields, taking the topsoil with it and causing the invasion of mud we’ve seen this year.

To unpack the layers of Thailand’s flood crisis, Dave Kendall speaks with "Pai" Pianporn Deetes, campaign director for the Southeast Asia Programme at International Rivers.

Travel historian Imtiaz Muqbil addresses tourism in Thailand from economic, historical and social viewpoints. He says tourism is so key to Thailand’s post-Covid recovery that the government’s recent relaxation of immigration restrictions was necessary for both the economy and social stability. He worries that countries will compete with each other for tourist revenue in a race to the bottom that risks overtourism in certain areas. But he says the industry itself can solve these problems by using better marketing and promotion strategies. He says that the loosening of borders brings an inevitable rise in criminal activity that can only be mitigated, not prevented. And finally, he says that since the end of the second world war, travel and tourism has had a higher purpose – to promote cultural understanding and peace in the world.

Thanks to the new visa regulations issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it’s never been easier to visit Thailand and stay in the country long-term. But the devil is in the details, and to help us take an in-depth look, Dave Kendall is joined by Naruchai Ninnad, Deputy DIrector-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read the accompanying article in the Bangkok Post at https://bit.ly/3Yzu62e