Capacity building process in development of health-hazard control activity of Ban Meang sub-district administrative organization, Nong Rour district, Khon Kaen province (Thai)

Abstract

This participatory action research aimed to examine a capacity building process in the development of
health-hazard control activity of Ban Meang Sub-district Administrative Organization (SAO) administrators
and SAO council members, and to develop local operational guidelines in health-hazard control activity based
on four capacity development processes by (1) surveying environmental pollution problems caused by
community health-hazard activities, (2) conducting workshops on health-hazard control activity for SAO
administrators, council members and officers, (3) drafting SAO health-hazard control regulations proposed
to the SAO council for approval, and (4) organizing a brain-storming workshop participated in by stakeholders
on appropriate practice in local health-hazard control activity. The research results found that those capacity
building development processes made the SAO administrators and SAO council members more understanding
as well as more skillful at surveying community environmental pollution problems. They understood the SAO
legislative role as a local authority, which leads to participatory drafting of SAO regulations for approval by
the SAO council. This also achieved the SAO guideline on health-hazard control appropriate for local-level
application.