The Use of Technology and Community Participation in Creating Sustainable Water Management Innovation in the Area of Navamintarachinee Forest, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand

Abstract

Water resource is a vital factor for human survival. The source of water is forests. The coexistence between humans and forests is mutual support. The conservation of forest and water must proceed in parallel to create a balance in the ecosystem. This research aims to study the use of water management innovation for consumption at the community level that does not harm the ecosystem, and to create a volunteer network to participate in water management for consumption at the community level. The researchers conducted the participatory action research. In-depth interview and focus group were used with 80 key informants. The qualitative data were analyzed by using the content analysis, inductive analysis, conclusion generation and verification, with an emphasis on linking data that is true to the facts. The research results show that in the case study area of Ban Huai Solop community, Huai Pha Subdistrict, Mueang District, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, the ethnic communities have lived with the forest for a long time. The main problems and obstacles were the area condition which is mountainous terrain; this makes water storage quite difficult. There was insufficient water. The cost for pumping water from low areas to the higher areas is expensive. The solution to the problem is to bring a hydraulic ram pump – which does not require electricity or oil; therefore, it does not harm the ecosystem – to be tested to deliver water from Solop creek up the mountain. In the process of summarizing the problems and finding solutions, the community participated in learning and conducting a practical experiment by themselves. This study took more than 1 year; this shows the connection of processes to solve problems with the community participation through these 5 steps: 1) network creation, 2) network management/co-learning management, 3) problems and obstacles in network management, 4) network relationship, and 5) network relationship development. This empirical result can be expanded to other local areas in the future.