The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Bangkok funded a project focusing on the assessment of climate change impacts on water availability and water quality in the Lower Songkram River Basin (LSRB) Thailand and implementation of “River & Wetland Watch Program” for HSBC staffs and stakeholders of LSRB.

The project is aimed at providing an outlook on the future changes in the hydrology and water quality of LSRB under climate change and land use change scenarios and parallel educate and train HSBC staffs and local stakeholders of LSRB about watersheds and the relationship between land use and water quality.

HSBC engaged Dr. Sangam Shrestha, Associate Professor, Water Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as the principal investigator. The project being managed by AIT Consulting, Asian Institute of Technology, has conducted training at AIT to demonstrate water quality sampling techniques and on-site training of water quality sampling techniques. Participants of the training included Mr. Khemratch Amornwatpong from WWF, Dr. Raywadee Roachanakanan and 2 student volunteers from Mahidol University, and Ms. Roskamol Vongchowanart, 4 project champions, and 13 volunteers from HSBC.

 Various field visits were organized in Mahachai, Khok Kham, Mueang Samut Sakorn district, Samut Sakhon province to raise awareness about water quality monitoring and the importance of mangrove plantation with on-site water quality monitoring, water quality sampling voluntary works and on-site mangrove plantation voluntrary works.