Erosion is biting two square kilometres of land off Thailand every year, according to a report issued by the World Bank.

"This means about Bt6 billion economic damage," Jitendra Jha of the World Bank said yesterday. He said erosion was one of the world's major environmental problems.

According to Jha, the coastal environment has suffered adverse impacts from the fact that the population and activities along the coast of Thailand have been increasing over the past 30 decades. For example, with increased sea-fishery activities and shrimp farms, about 80 per cent of coral reefs in the Andaman Sea and 50 per cent in the Gulf of Thailand have been deteriorating.

He said construction of piers, dams and digging for artesian water also aggravated the erosion.

Jha pointed that Ban Khun Samut Cheen in Samut Prakan alone lost more than one square kilometre during the past 30 years.

Natural Resource and Environment Ministry director-general Nisakorn Kositrat said her ministry had joined hands with relevant authorities in tackling erosion problem in the Gulf of Thailand.

"We have launched an initiative to tackle the problem in five provinces, with Ban Khun Samut Cheen being included," Nisakorn said. She said the initiative covered surveys to identify what caused the erosion so as to tackle the problems at its root.

"If any structure is found to have caused erosion, it will be improved," she said. For structures that cannot be improved, Nisakorn vowed to remove it if its existence meant the erosion would get worse.

She said the bill on the promotion of marine and coastal resource management, when enforced, would allow coastal communities' participation in the management.

Currently, the Council of State is reviewing the bill that has already obtained the Cabinet's green light.

Jha described local community participation as one of the key factors for efficient environmental management.