For over 10 years, His Majesty the King’s royal initiative has addressed the problem of putrid water in Khlong Mahachai, in addition to flood control. Khlong Mahachai connects Khlong Bangkok Noi with Samut Sakhon province and has numerous tributary canals leading to the sea. However, water flowing from Khlong Bangkok Noi meets saltwater pushing up from Samut Sakhon, preventing it from flowing into the sea and causing stagnation and putrefaction in the area. His Majesty the King drafted a “Thematic Map” to explain the concept or principle, approximately identifying locations for water gates and “monkey cheek” (Kaem Ling) areas. The idea was to divert saltwater into these monkey cheek areas when the sea level rose by approximately 50 centimeters. As the sea level recedes, it acts like a car piston, drawing along the water from Khlong Bangkok Noi. This process ensures water circulation and prevents putrefaction.

The Royal Irrigation Department has completed the construction of six water gates in the study area, located in various canals including Khlong Mahachai, Khlong Luang, Khlong Sahakorn Sai 3, Khlong Jek, Khlong Khok Kham, and Khlong Khok Kham Kao. Currently, these gates lack the necessary equipment and tools for continuous operation.

Therefore, the Field Robotics Institute (FIBO), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, has implemented an automatic water gate control system to enable remote control or automatic operation under specific conditions. The control system receives commands for the water gate’s opening/closing height from a central unit via modem. The system then operates the gate to the desired height and sends a confirmation signal back to the central unit, providing real-time status of the water gate’s operation.