Opened 1994 | Phone +66 45 826 033 | |
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Address Nong Khae, Rasi Salai District, Sisaket 33160, Thailand Similar Pak Mun Dam, Mun River, Lam Phra Phloeng Dam, Chulabhorn Dam, Mae Kuang Dam Lookout | ||
The Rasi Salai Dam (Thai: ฝายราษีไศล) is a dam in Amphoe Rasi Salai that was in use from 1994 to 2000. It was constructed by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) with assistance from the World Bank, despite local protest. Living River Siam, an NGO, helped Thai villagers document the effects of the dam on their lives. EGAT promised that the dam's waters would be used to irrigate local fields, but in fact the dam flooded ancient salt banks which not only made the water unusable but made many nearby fields infertile as well. Angry villagers occupied the dam site for two years and petitioned the government to close it down. The dam's gates were opened in 2000 pending a permanent decision on what to do with it, and it has not been used since.