GUIDELINES FOR HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT ALONG THE CHE ME CANAL BY THE WAENG LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, NARATHIWAT PROVINCE

Abstract

     This action research aimed to develop guidelines for managing household wastewater along the Che Me Canal in Narathiwat Province through local community self-management mechanisms. The study was conducted in four steps across two phases, including 1) developing and implementing the household wastewater management process along the canal through planning, action, and observation, and 2) expanding the network by reflecting on the outcomes. Content analysis was employed to extract lessons learned and interpret findings from the specifically selected target group meeting. Findings reveal that the wastewater management approach along the Che Me Canal is divided into three levels. 1) At the household level, wastewater is managed at the source by upgrading toilets to meet sanitary standards, composting kitchen food waste, and converting backyard pandan plots into wastewater filtration beds. 2) At the community level, four public policies were introduced, including (1) supporting and promoting household wastewater and source-based solid waste management for canal-side homes, (2) enacting local ordinances, or Hukum Pakat, to designate the Che Me Canal as a conservation area and a community food source, (3) forming a Che Me Canal committee and incorporating follow-up actions into the agenda of subdistrict meetings, and (4) incorporating the Che Me Canal conservation and restoration plan into local development plans. 3) At the network level, a Golok River Basin network was established to collaboratively develop joint measures at the watershed level moving forward.