The Raknam project embraces the kaem ling, or monkey's cheek, idea initiated by His Majesty the King.
The origin of the kaem ling projects can be traced back to 1995 when an epic flood hit Bangkok. The King advised the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to excavate huge ponds — thus the metaphor of a monkey's sagging cheek — to help drain floodwater for Bangkok. Since then, kaem ling has become famous countrywide as a cheap and environmentally friendly method to manage water and combat flood and drought.
Kaem ling relies on the simple idea of using natural ponds to store and drain water alternately during the dry and rainy seasons. But Raknam isn't only about ponds. Apart from financing villagers to dig natural ponds, the campaign also provides water management knowledge to them.