Partnership Spotlight: Chiang Mai Rajabhat University Partnered with Local Municipality to Tackle Several Environmental Issues
By: Ada Inman
In 2021, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University (CMRU) partnered with Chiang Mai City to tackle several environmental issues pertaining to water quality.
Chiang Mai was founded in CE 1296 and was built as a walled city surrounded by a moat. Typically, the water circulation around the moat depends on the periodical water release from Chiang Mai Irrigation Department. The frequency and the amount of water released to the moat are closely monitored; the water quality in the moat, however, is not. Overall, the water quality in Chiang Mai City Moat falls into categories 3 to 4 (moderate to polluted), meaning the water is generally unfit and unsafe for people to use.
During this partnership, the staff from Chiang Mai Municipality met with the Chiang Mai Rajabhat University lecturers to plan and discuss strategies to solve water problems. Following the planning phase, the project kicked off in October 2021 through training and other essential preparation. Then, in November 2021, students from the Environmental Quality Monitoring class led by their lecturers collected water samples from four corners (Huai Rin, Sri Phum, Ku Rueang, and Katam) of the moat. At the same time, students from Health Behavior and Behavioral Safety conducted site observation and analyzed the behavioral safety along the streets, the bridges, and the surrounding collection points.
The collected samples were passed to the Water Quality Analysis class, where students analyze water quality and test for pollution indicators. The frequency of water sampling and water analysis was monthly from November 2021 to February 2022.
Towards the end of the project, the students presented the analytical results to the municipality. Discussions between the lecturers, students, and municipality staff were held to discuss the findings and propose pragmatic solutions. The municipality took the recommendations to improve its water management. The municipality also gained crucial insights from the students that the people living along the waterways also contributed to the pollution in the moat.
To learn more about this partnership and the project that took place, read the full partnership story here.
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