Critical analysis of water governance challenges of Songkhla Lake Basin,Thailand

The present study examines water governance challenges in the Songkhla Lake Basin (SLB) with the aim of evaluating and analysing policies, legislations, regulations, institutions and actors responsible for the current state of the basin. The present study adopted three methodological approaches, including literature reviews, face‐to‐face expert interviews and field survey to investigate governance challenges confronting the SLB. It identified six major governance challenges that combined to produce current barriers to sustainable governance, resulting in depletion and deterioration of the SLB resource system. Moving forward will require pursuit of better resource management and governance systems, which will require strengthening of the Songkhla Lake Basin Committee to play a much needed coordinating and policy harmonization role to promote coherent actions among the formal and informal actors in the basin. Review of existing water resources and related governance instruments to make them appropriate, adequate and relevant for the sustainability of the SLB also is essential.