Sustainable Solutions to the Displaced Person Situation On the Thai-Myanmar Border Asian Research Center For THE IMPACT OF DISPLACED Migration PEOPLE ´S TEMPORARY SHELTERS Institute of Asian Studies, ON THEIR SURROUNDING Chulalongkorn ENVIRONMENT University Suwattana Thadaniti, Kanokphan U-Cha, Bart Lambregts, Jaturapat Bhiromkaew, Vullop Prombang, Suchoaw Toommakorn, Saowanee Wijitkosum Conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the European Union i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was completed by a research team organized by the Asian Research Center for Migration at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The research team would like to express the gratitude to the Royal Thai Government for their cooperation and assistance with this research. We would also like to sincerely thank all of those who agreed to be interviewed during this study for taking the time to share with us their insights and experiences related to the impact of displaced people’s temporary shelters on their surrounding environment. We would also like to thank Dr. Supang Chantavanich and the staff of the Asian Research Center for Migration for their assistance and support during the research. The research team would like to thank the European Union for their generous financial support of this project. We would also like to thank the staff of the United Nations Development Programme and the members of the United Nations inter-agency team for the project management and technical support services they provided throughout the course of this study. The opinions expressed within this report are those of the research team alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Development Programme. We are hopeful that this report on the impact of displaced people’s temporary shelters on their surrounding environment will be useful in providing the more understanding and insights into the situation of displaced people in Thailand and will encourage every stakeholder to find the sustainable situation. Suwattana Thadaniti Research Team Leader July 2011 Team members 1. Suwattana Thadaniti 9. Rewadee Chuckkasen 2. Kanokphan U-Cha 10 Pattama Chooprasert 3. Bart Lambregts 11. Teenaranun Jaroenruanglert 4. Jaturapat Bhiromkaew 12. Siriwan Ussavuschariyakul 5. Saowanee Wijitkosum 13. Salila Trakulvech 6. Vullop Prombang 14. Suthasinee Haruchaiyasak 7. Suchuaw Toommakorn 15. Sawapa Tangsawapak 8. Worawat Junthasi 16 Sarisa Ungchomchoke ii CONTENTS ACKNOWEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................. i CONTENTS......................................................................................................................... ii CONTENTS OF FIGURE................................................................................................. iv CONTENTS OF TABLE................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.......................................................... x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................ xiii Chapter Page 1. Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem.............................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Objectives...................................................................................... 1 1.3 Research Questions....................................................................................... 2 1.4 Study Framework.......................................................................................... 2 1.5 Research Methodology and Analytical Tools............................................... 3 2. Desk Review....................................................................................................... 5 2.1 The Environment Effects of Displace People’s settlement........................... 5 2.2 Type of Settlement........................................................................................ 6 2.3 Direct Environment Impact of Different settlement Types.......................... 6 2.4 Positive and Negative Environmental Impacts............................................. 10 2.5 Perceptions of International Agencies and Host governments of the Environmental Impacts by displaced People................................................ 11 2.6 Displaced People’s and Local communities Participation in Environmental Management......................................................................... 13 2.7 Environment Impacts of Displaced People’s Settlement along the Thai Myanmar Border........................................................................................... 15 2.8 Environmental Impacts of Displaced People ‘s Temporary Shelters Local Communities....................................................................................... 18 3. DPTS along the Thai-Myanmar Border: State of Affairs from an Environment Perspective........................................................................... 21 3.1 Background: Displaced People along Thai-Myanmar Border...................... 21 3.2 The Environmental Situation in the DPTS................................................... 24 4. Way of Living and Resource Utilization of the Displaced People................ 51 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 51 4.2 Land use........................................................................................................ 51 iii 4.3 Utilities and facilities.................................................................................... 58 4.4 Housing and the environment....................................................................... 64 4.5 Household sewerage and waste..................................................................... 70 4.6 Environmental impacts within the DPTS...................................................... 77 4.7 Environmental impacts outside the DPTS.................................................... 99 5. Environmental Impact Assessment of the Displaced People’s Temporary Shelter...................................................................................... 111 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 111 5.2 Humanitarian assistance and the environment.............................................. 111 5.3 Sufficiency of supplies and responses.......................................................... 112 5.4 Displaced people’s perception of the environmental quality in the shelters. 119 5.5 Health impacts............................................................................................... 122 6 Conclusions and Recommendations................................................................ 124 6.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 124 6.2 Main environmental impacts, their causes and their consequences.............. 124 6.3 Recommendations for improved management of environmental impact..... 126 Reference............................................................................................................ 132 Appendix I Sampling and Displaced Peoples’ Profile.................................... 140 Appendix II Focus group activity with local communities surrounding Ban Mai Nai Soi temporary shelter............................................................ 150 Appendix III Focus group activity with local community surrounding Ban Mae La temporary shelter............................................................................. 159 Appendix IV An in-depth interview Suan Phung Subdistrict Administrative Organization................................................................................................. 165 Appendix V NGO’s and donor organizations in Ban Tham Hin, Ban Mai Nai Soi and Mae La...................................................................................... 168 iv CONTENTS OF FIGURE Figure 1 Population figures of temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar Border as per July 2010...................................................................................................... 23 Figure 2 Location of Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter...................................................... 25 Figure 3 Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter Road Map....................................................... 26 Figure 4 Topography of Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter................................................ 28 Figure 5 Fault lines in the earth surface around Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter............ 29 Figure 6 Topography of Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter................................................ 30 Figure 7 Ban Tham Hin Temporary Shelter Settlement....................................................... 33 Figure 8 Location of Ban Mai Nai Soi Temporary Shelter.................................................. 35 Figure 9 Topography of Ban Mai Nai Soi Temporary Shelter............................................. 37 Figure 10 Topography of Ban Mai Nai Soi Temporary Shelter............................................. 39 Figure 11 Location of Mae La Temporary Shelter................................................................. 42 Figure 12 Topography of Ban Mae La Temporary