BASF and partners help Thailand reconnect rivers to its cities and people
- BASF’s porous and water-permeable river restoration solution provides an adequate habitat for vegetation and reinstates ecological balance
Bangkok, Thailand – February 22, 2018 – BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, together with KICT (Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology), TGWA (Thailand Global Warming Academy) and SBB (SBB Co., Ltd), today entered a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to undertake river restoration and environmental improvement projects in Thailand.
“In Thailand, rivers experience intensified flooding during storm seasons. Due to this and rapid urban development in our cities, rivers are becoming increasingly polluted and disconnected from people’s lives,” said Professor Dr. Thanawat Jarupongsakul, President of TGWA. “We are delighted to be collaborating with international experts to explore how we can restore our rivers’ ecology with new technologies and processes that also help with flood risk management. In so doing, we also aim to reconnect rivers to our cities and people.”
KICT and TGWA will provide oversight and organize the projects, while KICT will also provide technical and operational knowledge arising from its successful projects under the Green River concept, as well as successful projects with its Thai partners. BASF and SBB will supply technologies and materials to support the projects. As a manufacturer of concrete blocks for river and coast protection, SBB has been working with BASF since 2010 to safeguard shores from strong winds and erosion.
The partners aim to use technologies that provide an adequate habitat for vegetation and help cities to overcome flooding and erosion challenges, which in turn will help connect people and rivers.
“BASF’s porous and water-permeable solution can help cities overcome flooding challenges while supporting the ecological balance of rivers through water purification and revegetation,” said Andy Postlethwaite, Senior Vice President, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF. BASF solutions have also been installed in weirs across Asia to change concrete fishways into natural looking curved fishways.
Apart from rivers, BASF’s porous and water-permeable restoration solutions are also widely used in coastal areas to better protect the coastline from erosion and landslides. In Thailand, various coastal projects have been installed with BASF’s solutions, including beaches in Pattaya, which are frequently destroyed by high tides. Korea’s first revetment built with BASF’s solution, installed in 2011, has remained intact even after weathering many typhoons.
About BASF’s Performance Materials Division
BASF’s Performance Materials division encompasses the entire materials know-how of BASF regarding innovative, customised plastics under one roof. Globally active in four major industry sectors – transportation, construction, industrial applications and consumer goods – the division has a strong portfolio of products and services combined with a deep understanding of application-oriented system solutions. Key drivers of profitability and growth are our close collaboration with customers and a clear focus on solutions. Strong capabilities in R&D provide the basis to develop innovative products and applications. In 2016, the Performance Materials division achieved global sales of € 6.9 billion. More information online: www.performance-materials.basf.com
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com
About BASF Thailand
BASF has been operating in Thailand for over 50 years. With 640 employees in Thailand as of December 31, 2016, BASF offers products to customers in Thailand including crop protection, automotive catalysts, construction chemicals, coatings, care chemicals, nutrition and health ingredients, industrial chemicals, performance polymers, polyurethanes, and performance chemicals. BASF maintains a head office in Bangkok, along with three production sites around the country and a technical lab in Samutprakarn. BASF sales to customers in Thailand in 2016 were approximately €443 million. Further information on BASF in Thailand is available at basf.com/th
