Lampang – A prototype boat designed to collect water hyacinth at Kiew Lom Dam, worth nearly US$2.3 million, now lies unused and sunken in the mud. Despite being completed and staff being trained in 2023, it was never put to real use.
Local residents say the boat has been left untouched since its trial run. Strong winds overturned the raft it was tied to, which pulled the boat underwater. Now, its condition is barely recognisable.
The boat, built by Choknamchai Hi-Tech Pressing for the Royal Irrigation Department’s research office, arrived at Kiew Lom Dam late last year. It was supposed to be handed over to the local irrigation office and Kiew Lom Dam staff after training.
But after the training on how to remove Water Hyacinth, no one used the boat. Instead, it was left until it eventually sank. Last month, staff tried to recover it after water levels dropped, but it remains stuck in the mud.
Kulthorn Rattanaseree, head of the Kiew Lom-Kiew Korn Ma Water Delivery and Maintenance Project, and Nipon Sriwilai, the project’s chief engineer, explained that Kiew Lom Dam has never officially received the boat from the research office. Until the handover happens, they cannot use it.
Staff still don’t know exactly why the boat sank. On the morning after a storm, they found the raft and a rope still tied to a tree, but the boat itself had disappeared underwater, where the river is about eight metres deep. When water levels dropped, staff were able to check and try to right the boat, but it’s still submerged and can’t be moved.
It’s unclear if the full payment for the project has already been made, as the local staff are not in charge of the project. After the operating system training, the boat was not used again since the research office never handed it over. The dam office is simply providing space for the boat and waiting for the research office to check the damage.
A reporter who visited Samphao Thong village, a riverside tourist spot near the dam, met locals who pointed out where the boat is stuck in the mud. Water levels have dropped, exposing more of the wreck, and it’s uncertain whether the boat can ever be used. The boat’s future remains uncertain, with locals and staff waiting to see what will happen next.
