Unraveling the River: Action Research for Participatory Water Resource Management in Suphan Buri Province

Abstract

The purposes of this research article were 1) to develop community-level information through communication of community rights and water resource management, and 2) to enhance the participation mechanisms of the Subdistrict Community Organization Council in communicating community rights and water resource management. The research utilized action research methods with 60 participants. The research used focus group discussions, training of a network of community leaders and water resource management information specialists, and a community-participatory water management information production workshop. The data were analyzed for content. The research findings revealed that 1) community-level information creation through waterway maps facilitated communication of community rights and water resource management. The community's understanding of water resource information through waterway maps led to the development of a collaborative water management plan based on flood and drought scenarios, leveraging the community organization council as a social space for collaborative water resource management; 2) enhancing participation mechanisms for subdistrict community organization councils in communicating community rights and water resource management. Community organization councils played a crucial role in fostering participation in water resource management and effectively communicating community rights under the 5S communication mechanism: Good Information, Good Communication, Good Creativity, Good Empowerment, and Good Participation. This significantly enhanced community communication regarding water resource management.