From legal mandate to operational capacity: evaluating river basin committees under Thailand's water resources act

ABSTRACT Graphical summary of the study context, mixed-methods evaluation, four RBC performance dimensions, and key finding that D3 scored highest and D4 lowest. Often, river basin committees are established to coordinate water governance across administrative, sectoral, and stakeholder boundaries. However, their legal creation does not necessarily ensure effective implementation. This study evaluated the performance of Thailand's 22 River Basin Committees (RBCs) under the Water Resources Act B.E. 2561 (2018), focusing on their operation during the 2022–2024 implementation period. A mixed-methods institutional evaluation was conducted in 2025, combining documentary analysis, meeting observation, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaire surveys. Thirteen statutory-duty indicators, reviewed through expert consultation, were grouped into four dimensions: planning alignment, basin management, legal and regulatory execution, and innovation, public awareness, and support for Water User Organizations (WUOs). Based on the results, there was moderate overall performance, with a mean score of 3.29 out of 5.00. Legal and regulatory execution recorded the highest score (4.33), while innovation, public awareness, and WUO support recorded the lowest score (2.05). The findings showed that Thailand's RBCs have established an important procedural foundation for basin-level water governance. The next stage of development is to strengthen operational support for outreach, innovation, local institutional support, and follow-through mechanisms. The study's contributions include distinguishing legal institutionalization, procedural functioning perception-based satisfaction, and operational capacity in basin governance.