Organisation, facilitation, and documentation of local design workshops, for WaL Academy case study Bangkok

WaL Academy Bangkok 2024: Enhancing Urban Water Resilience through Integrated Management and Nature-Based Solutions is the first Water as Leverage Academy in the world happened in Thailand, co-created by the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and LANDPROCESS Co. Ltd., initiated by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Netherlands embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W) and Deltares, between June 2024 and January 2025.

As part of the Water as Leverage (WaL) Programme, which promotes collaboration and innovation in sustainable water management, this project supports Bangkok in developing an inclusive urban development roadmap. It addresses short- and long-term challenges by fostering stakeholder engagement, ensuring active participation from local governments, communities, and experts to co-create nature-based solutions (NbS) for water management in Bangkok and Thailand. The project also strengthens local capacity, empowering agencies to lead sustainable initiatives. Additionally, it enriches the WaL Academy's resources by sharing insights from a detailed 'City Deep Dive' on Bangkok, contributing to the national and global urban sustainability framework.

The project aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including

• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), by improving access to safe water and sanitation in Bangkok;
• SDG 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities, by promoting sustainable urbanisation through nature-based solutions (NbS);
• SDG 13-Climate Action, by enhancing climate resilience through innovative water management solutions; and
• SDG 17-Partnerships for the Goals, by strengthening collaboration across sectors and regions to address water-related challenges.

Key activities and findings consist of

Site Visit (June 29-30, 2024)

Collaborated with the Netherlands embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, to organise a two-day tour of four hotspot areas for the consortium to experience key components of water management in Bangkok contexts.

First Workshop (July 1-2, 2024)

Executed WaL Guidance to break silos, build a coalition and stakeholder capacity related to Bangkok water management through interactive sessions. At the end of the workshop, 3 out of 16 hotspots were highlighted to work further on.

Intermediate Period Activities

Organised multidisciplinary meetings to revise Bangkok's Comprehensive City Plan and presented the policy suggestion to the Bangkok Urban Planning Department, Apply the breaking silo tools in a seminar on the Collaborative Partnership for Sustainable Coastal Area and Ecosystem Development in the Gulf of Thailand and further develop the Bang Khuntian Coastal initiative to advance sustainable coastal development, and discussions to revitalise the Bangkok Cultural Canal Network in collaboration with BMA, "Pa Pai Pai" group, and Dutch experts.

Second Workshop (October 24-25, 2024)

Organised the second workshop focusing on the broader areas of Chao Phraya 9 Plans on flood management, applying insights from the intermediate phase and initiated nature-based water management card game based on Thailand's local contexts.

Deliverables from the project includes:

1. Water as Leverage Guidance for a City Deep Dive in Bangkok;
2. Two reports summarised from the two workshops; and
3. Communication materials developed in collaboration with the Netherlands embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.

Through workshops, experts from various fields came together to address challenges like integrating technical, policy, and community perspectives for flood resilience and ecosystem management in Bangkok and its surrounding regions. It was highlighted that water management in Bangkok faces significant challenges due to fragmentation, with over 40 agencies managing different aspects of water (water supply, irrigation, flood and drought control, wastewater treatment, groundwater) without adequate coordination. This fragmentation leads to inefficiencies in tackling urban water and climate change issues. To address this, The Hotspots System was introduced, focusing on 16 pilot areas, with the top four priorities selected for integrating flood prevention, ecological restoration, and urban development using nature-based solutions (NbS).

The application of Water as Leverage (WaL) principles empowered participants to create sustainable, resilient, and inclusive water management solutions. The WaL Academy Bangkok 2024 highlighted Bangkok's adaptation to climate change and its commitment to sustainable urban development, marking the first step toward effective integrated water management that will continue to evolve.