SCCCRN

Hat Yai

City introduction

Hat Yai is an urbanized, major center in the south of Thailand situated in Songkhla province. It has a strong tourism economy for mostly sub-regional tourists, a diverse ethnic composition, and serves as the country’s gateway to Singapore and Malaysia. The surrounding suburbs have a relatively high number of vulnerable, poor people. Hat Yai relies heavily on the agriculture sector, and the majority of income for the province is generated from the rubber, wood, palm oil and fisheries industries. Water pollution affects the Utaphao River, which runs with limited drainage through the city in concrete channels. Floods have been the city’s most significant hazard in recent years, with experiences of severe flooding in 2000 and 2010.

Basis for ACCCRN selection

Hat Yai was selected due to the climate change challenges it faces in flooding, water shortage, poor waste management, pollution, and problematic land use. Additionally the city demonstrated interest in engaging with efforts to increase urban climate change resilience.

ACCCRN partners

Thailand Environment Institute (TEI): TEI is an NGO focusing on environmental issues and the conservation of natural resources in Thailand and at wider regional and global levels.

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC): ADPC is a non-profit organization supporting the advancement of safer communities and sustainable development through implementing programs and projects that reduce the impact of disasters upon countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific.

City projects

Projects in Hat Yai will kick off in early 2012.

Activities timeline

Graphic to come

Knowledge base

Based on a series of shared learning dialogues and studies and assessments, it is projected that as the city of Hat Yai grows, it will also experience a number of climate related impacts. Climate projections suggest that average temperatures will increase in the city, with likely implications for the health of urban inhabitants. As well, the heat will affect the water needs of farmers and agricultural producers, and may adversely affect poor communities that have limited safe water available, which becomes even more critical during heat waves. As well, it is expected that the rainfall patterns will change in Hat Yai, resulting in heavier and more intensive rains in the rainy season and less rainfall during drier periods. These shifts will likely intensify flooding in the city, especially as urban growth continues and the coverage of impermeable surfaces increases, affecting the lives and livelihoods of Hat Yai dwellers. Poor communities, including those living in slums, may face more severe impacts, such as limited access to safe water.

Hat Yai may also experience greater irregularity and intensity of storms, which will affect fishermen, including those who rely on offshore and inland coastal fisheries. Given its low elevation levels and proximity to the sea, Hat Yai is at risk from the impacts of sea level rise, which over the medium to long term is projected to affect the city. In addition to inundation, sea level rise in Hat Yai increases coastal erosion, salinity intrusion, contamination of water supplies, and will impact tourism sites, residential areas and fishing and farming populations.

Through the process of developing a City Resilience Strategy, Hat Yai has identified a set of priority areas around which to design urban climate change resilience building measures. These include:

• Adaptation capacity enhancement for the preparedness and mitigation of vulnerabilities to climate change impacts
• Support for research and development that fosters improved understanding about climate change
• Raising awareness about urban climate change resilience solutions
• Strengthening the capacity of key personnel and agencies in climate change-related implementation

Building Resilience on the ground

Local level resilience building measures have not yet been initiated in Hat Yai.

Who benefits

Anticipated beneficiaries include urban poor communities, including slum dwellers, municipal departments and associated staff, and fishing communities.

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