COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN CHONBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The Research aimed to 1) Study the current problems, 2) Develop a model, and 3) Evaluate the developed model for community empowerment in sustainable water resource management in Chon Buri Province. The research and development process consisted of three phases. Phase 1 involved a quantitative and qualitative situational study utilizing questionnaires and interviews with 411 sampled participants, analyzed using mean and content analysis. Phase 2 focused on model development through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 18 key informants, followed by content analysis. Phase 3 evaluated the model using evaluation forms completed by 15 experts, with data analyzed by mean. The findings revealed that 1) The overall problem of community water resource management in Chon Buri Province was at a moderate level. 2) The developed community empowerment model comprised principles, objectives, administrative processes, and evaluation guidelines, emphasizing enhancement of flood management capabilities, community water quality development, and participatory water resource management. 3) The overall evaluation of the model demonstrated its high effectiveness. When considering individual aspects, the highest-rated dimensions, ranked from highest to lowest, were relevance and contextual appropriateness, model clarity, and practical feasibility, respectively.