On December 17, 2025, Miss Boontida Plengsaeng, Director-General of the Department of Water Resources, presided over the Final Seminar for the Project on Budgetary Operations for Developing Criteria and Indicators to Support the River Health Index. The event was attended by international experts, representatives from the public and private sectors, and relevant officials. The seminar aimed to inform participants about the study’s outcomes regarding Thailand’s draft River Health Index (RHI) criteria and indicators. This data will enable the application of assessment results to develop, conserve, and restore waterways in alignment with the index’s framework. The meeting was held at the Diamond Dome Room, 22nd Floor, Queensland Hotel, Bangkok, as well as via electronic media (Zoom Meeting). For the development of these criteria, six pilot sub-river basins were selected from the 22 main river basins across six regions of Thailand. The River Health Index (RHI) serves as a vital tool that reflects the integrity and overall health of rivers, assisting in the formulation of management measures and guidelines. It also functions as a decision-making tool for managing rivers, canals, and natural water resources. The health index analyzes data across four dimensions:
- Physical-Hydrological Dimension (including the physical characteristics of the waterway and its riverbanks)
- Water Quality Dimension
- Ecological Dimension
- Socio-economic Dimension
The RHI scores are categorized into five levels: Very poor, Poor, Fair (Good), Very good, and Excellent. This index can be effectively utilized to determine river health for holistic basin management, tailored sustainably to the context of each specific area
