| Abstract | The concept of integrated river basin development implies a system composed of many components, such as dams, dikes, reservoirs, pump, canals and power plants. Whose interrelated operation serves irrigation and drainage, flood control, power generation and domestic uses. The associated engineering works, therefore involve economic, social and environmental problems requiring integrated broad plan for entire drainage area. A large river basin development is characterized by phase wise development in the ground of return on investment. System analysis and optimization techniques are used extensively to undertake comparative analysis of the handful number of options open to the project. The formulation of mixed integer Linear Programming Optimization Model for KongChi- Mun Project (KCM-model) and its analysis with the LINDO "Hyper Version" have been undertaken in this study, firstly to compare the previous results of HALCROW, 1992 for the first phase and to find further improvement. The model results are in good agreement with the previous results. The incorporation of recent development proposed by TEAM/ASDECON, 1994 (Huailuang reservoir, 108 MCM and Mekong diversion capacity of 104.5 m3/s) in the KCM-model reflects the possibility of 364,628 ha area development with an overall cropping intensity of 141 per cent (cropping intensity according to soil type, according to Table 4.1). The scope of the KCM-Project (I-phase) with Huailuang reservoir can be area extension to 408,816 ha by successive development of block 'C'in the head reach of CM-8 (a sub-route which gets supply from Lam Pao reservoir). The tests for economic analysis in this study include transfer cost, transfer cost per unit new area development, and a ratio of net benefit to total investment besides the benefit-cost ratio and net benefits. The large transbasin diversion project like Kong-Chi-Mun, needs thorough understanding of the problems and mitigation measures in relation to an international issue of sharing water from Mekong River and regional issue of environmental constraints for its full-fledged development. The largest development option of this study, KCM-12 (A,Bl,B2.l,B2.2,C,D,E,H) for an area of 692,258 ha (without Huailuang reservoir) demands a transfer capacity of about 265 m3/s. Thailand's full scale Kong-Chi-Mun diversion scheme (Fig. 4.2 and Appendix D) can be made possible in the future if the long-proposed Pa Mong Dam in the Mekong Committee plan eventually gets green signal. In addition to this, the possibility of salt transfer from the salt dome to reservoirs or unlined stretch of link channel along the routes of transbasin diversion project in future, needs careful consideration in the implementation stage from the very beginning. |