Co-learning and co-producing knowledge: How Ban Phai town in Khon Kaen province developed a flood management plan

In late August 2019, Ban Phai town in Khon Kaen province witnessed one of the worst floods in northeast Thailand, with flood-related losses exceeding THB 1 billion. Thailand’s meteorological department recorded 218.7 mm of rainfall on that fateful day, an unprecedented amount of rainfall for one day. In the aftermath, the Ban Phai district governor, Provincial Director of the Khon Kaen Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and community leaders conducted a post-flood evaluation, identifying critical shortcomings in the city's flood risk management policy and practices. The evaluation called for urgently developing a flood risk management plan with the close participation of the community.

SUMERNET provided a joint action research grant to researchers from Mahasarakham University, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Khon Kaen Campus, and Ban Phai City, which helped them to design the research to understand the flood risks better and seek policy solutions.

Called the Participatory Flood Risk Management: A Case for Policy Implication from the Ban Phai Municipality project (PFRM-Ban Phai), this collaborative effort integrated a community-based participatory flood risk management program into Ban Phai’s flood risk management policy and planning. The town Mayor’s Office played an active role with strong cooperation among the province’s academic institutes, governmental agencies, affected communities, and the private sector. The findings and policy recommendations from the project have subsequently resulted in the implementation of long-term solutions by both the local and central governments.

Participatory flood risk map: Flood management through co-learning

In this research, municipality and community leaders worked together with researchers to use existing technical and financial resources and engage in a process of co-learning with the five communities that were most affected by the floods: Moo 1 Pattana, Pai Kao, Mitrpab Soi 4, San Jao and Sumana Mai.

A series of workshops, meetings, knowledge exchanges, and household surveys allowed for an in-depth understanding of vulnerabilities, impacts, and coping capacities within Ban Phai. One key to the project's success was the active participation of communities, with a special emphasis on involving community leaders and women's groups. The co-learning process generated the knowledge that paved the way for developing a comprehensive flood risk map. This map not only guided flood management strategies and identified safe areas for evacuation during emergencies, but it also demonstrated the joint effort and ownership among governmental agencies, communities, and researchers in co-creating both short- and long-term solutions to address flood risks in the future.

Co-learning and co-producing knowledge with communities facilitated the development of a mutual understanding wherein the government valued the insights of the local population. This two-way communication became a cornerstone for effective policy and planning, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts in achieving flood risk management.

Policy decisions based on scientific evidence

One of the notable achievements of the project was the close cooperation between government agencies, particularly Ban Phai Municipality, and the local communities. From the onset, the research team recognized and engaged the communities as key stakeholders and sources of primary data collection. In turn, the communities shared their critical insights about the impacts of the floods.

The outcomes of this collaborative effort led to identifying priorities and recommendations that integrated community-based preparedness and early warning measures into Ban Phai’s flood management policy and plan.

A multi-stakeholder approach ensured that the plans reflected the ground realities and needs of the local population. The flood management strategy has evolved into a best practice case for other towns and cities within and outside Thailand. The project’s endeavors have garnered national recognition, bringing numerous environmental management, smart governance, well-being, and disaster management accolades to Ban Phai Municipality. Additionally, the model has attracted significant funding from the central government of about THB 1.5 billion, bolstering efforts to sustainably manage floods in the region by incorporating nature-based solutions and creating alternative livelihoods for the city's most vulnerable communities.

Interdisciplinary research expertise for policy impact

The PFRM-Ban Phai project's success would be incomplete without mentioning the collaboration of an interdisciplinary research team. Different researchers participated in various activities within the project, all of which contributed to the project's success. The social scientist led the survey and community engagement exercise, which generated the communities' perspectives and lived realities. The engineers generated technical evidence, and the team devised various approaches to engaging the local authority armed with evidence.

This research team acknowledges that engagement doors eventually opened after a few setbacks; the social scientist suggested they use community survey data. Whereas social scientists have no voice in some research teams, this research demonstrates the benefits of having an equal voice and leveraging each team member's expertise for success.

The journey of Ban Phai City from the devastation of 2019 to its current state of enhanced flood resilience serves as a testament to the power of collaboration, co-production, multi-stakeholder engagement, and the use of science to help in policy decisions.

By building bridges between interdisciplinary research teams, government bodies, and the affected communities, along with support from the private sector, Ban Phai has emerged as a model for proactive and inclusive flood risk management. This participatory and community-driven approach can serve as a blueprint for other cities and regions grappling with similar water and flood management challenges.

*Photo 1: Ban Phai town, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Photo: Unchulee Lualon / SEI Asia.

*Photo 2: Flood devastation in Ban Phai town, Khon Kaen province, Thailand (Year 2019). Photo: PFRM project.

*Photo 3: Community-led flood risk mapping for Ban Phai town, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Photo: Unchulee Lualon / SEI Asia.

*Photo 4: Demonstration of real-time flood early warning system for Ban Phai town, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Photo: Unchulee Lualon / SEI Asia.