Rangsit Canal was the first
irrigation project in Siam (Thailand). King
Chulalongkorn ordered its construction in 1890 and assigned Prince
Sai Sanitvongse (maternal grandfather of Prince Rangsit) as the project president. The canal starts at the east bank of the
Chao Phraya River in
Tambon Ban Mai,
Mueang Pathum Thani District,
Pathum Thani Province. It then runs eastward passing by Thung Luang and empties into the
Nakhon Nayok River in
Ongkharak District,
Nakhon Nayok Province. In the past, the area around Rangsit Canal from Pathum Thani to Nakhon Nayok Provinces was the largest
tangerine growing area in Thailand with no fewer than 150,000
rai (about 59,288 acres), producing 80% of the country's output. The Rangsit tangerine was once famous, just as the
Bang Mot tangerine (ส้มบางมด) in
Bangkok's Thonburi district is today. Though its orchards have nearly vanished, efforts are underway to revive them. == Rangsit Canal boat service ==