Fat, inglorious fat in the drains - why Bangkok floods

[snoop1130]

Fat, inglorious fat in the drains - why Bangkok floods

 

 

Sanook reported on the reason why one of Bangkok's biggest market was still under water.

 

The BMA found the drains clogged up with revolting fat.

 

The water couldn't go anywhere and the metropolitan authority had to get down and dirty to dislodge the sludge and suck it up into trucks.

 

Pictures were published on the website of JS100, They showed the drains at the big fresh food market in Rama III road. 

 

Sanook said that the problem of fat build-up in the drains was being seen all over Bangkok.

 

They called on traders and market associations to stop throwing fat down the drains and stop expecting the authorities to clear up their mess. 

 

Source: http://news.sanook.com/4184842/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-11-9

[grego49]

Not only in Bangkok they do it all over the country,Pattaya springs to mind,,,

[BigBadGeordie]

32 minutes ago, grego49 said:

Not only in Bangkok they do it all over the country,Pattaya springs to mind,,,

I regret to say they also appear to be depositing it on my stomach.

 

Although I admit I have assisted in the process.

[Juan B Tong]

Well, there you go.  Another problem solved.

[Crossy]

8 hours ago, grego49 said:

Not only in Bangkok they do it all over the country,Pattaya springs to mind,,,

Actually 'fatbergs' are an issue all over the world https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/total-monster-concrete-fatberg-blocks-london-sewage-system

 

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Actually 'fatbergs' are an issue all over the world  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/total-monster-concrete-fatberg-blocks-london-sewage-system

 

They said the biggest I believe was in London are after removal it would be processed and make enough bio-diesel to run 20 buses for a couple of weeks.

[glasswort]

More to the point what did they do with it after had been sucked up into trucks? I recall reading about the same problem in London sewers and the fat was recycled.

[shaurene]

This cost the authorities a lot of money, so put enough CCT cameras to cover all the stalls and make it known to them that minimum 1,000 baht fine. And provide something for them to empty the fat into for disposal.

[SiSePuede419]

This is like saying "water is wet".

 

Fat builds up into giant balls in every city's sewers, everywhere in the world.

 

Bangkok floods because there used to be no roads there.  Everything travelled by klong on the waterways.  Then they paved over the land, which used to soak up water with vegetation...with concrete.  Which doesn't absorb water.  So it runs off and causes flooding.

 

Oh.  It's only 5 feet above sea level.  Think the lack of SLOPE might inhibit drainage?

 

You need slope to funnel water out.  Or expensive pumps to make water flow uphill.

 

[overherebc]

16 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

This is like saying "water is wet".

 

Fat builds up into giant balls in every city's sewers, everywhere in the world.

 

Bangkok floods because there used to be no roads there.  Everything travelled by klong on the waterways.  Then they paved over the land, which used to soak up water with vegetation...with concrete.  Which doesn't absorb water.  So it runs off and causes flooding.

 

Oh.  It's only 5 feet above sea level.  Think the lack of SLOPE might inhibit drainage?

 

You need slope to funnel water out.  Or expensive pumps to make water flow uphill.

 

True but it only takes the first bit of cooking oil/fat to solidify and it's like a magnet for the rest in the system.

One solution is to provide containers in the markets to collect the oil, pick up once a week and find a re-cycle system, ( bio-diesel ) Set a figure of x per kilo' of oil collected, put in a fund, to be used for maintaining the market.

[Dogbarker]

.. Wow so it is true that cooking oil is actually changed..  Well sometimes 

[Sydebolle]

We never were asked in our restaurant during the yearly inspections of kitchen and service area about a grease box. I keep on showing it to the (ever changing) staff of the municipality and so far none of them ever recognized/understood the functioning and importance of a grease box. 

[Gandtee]

42 minutes ago, overherebc said:

True but it only takes the first bit of cooking oil/fat to solidify and it's like a magnet for the rest in the system.

One solution is to provide containers in the markets to collect the oil, pick up once a week and find a re-cycle system, ( bio-diesel ) Set a figure of x per kilo' of oil collected, put in a fund, to be used for maintaining the market.

A good suggestion. Supply containers to households so the fat can be collected and recycled. Just this morning I put two bottles of used cooking oil in the bin for collection. This will obviously be dumped with the rest of the rubbish. The same with used batteries. 

[Curmudgeon1]

55 minutes ago, overherebc said:

True but it only takes the first bit of cooking oil/fat to solidify and it's like a magnet for the rest in the system.

One solution is to provide containers in the markets to collect the oil, pick up once a week and find a re-cycle system, ( bio-diesel ) Set a figure of x per kilo' of oil collected, put in a fund, to be used for maintaining the market.

One of a combination of solutions. All can be underwritten by the fines  paid by the abusers which will never cease. 

[overherebc]

9 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

A good suggestion. Supply containers to households so the fat can be collected and recycled. Just this morning I put two bottles of used cooking oil in the bin for collection. This will obviously be dumped with the rest of the rubbish. The same with used batteries. 

All the homes around my way are not connected to a sewage system, all have the, what I call, soak away pit system.

At the start of wet season we get them pumped out. I have no idea where the fluids go.

Old oil/fat as much as is possible goes in the bin along with coffee grounds, old newspapers ( remember those ? ) etc to soak it up.

What else we can do I'm really not sure.

[aussie11950]

59 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

We never were asked in our restaurant during the yearly inspections of kitchen and service area about a grease box. I keep on showing it to the (ever changing) staff of the municipality and so far none of them ever recognized/understood the functioning and importance of a grease box. 

Washing dishes in the gutter runs the suds and oil/fat into the drains, then the river and ocean.

A grease box (grease trap) is not expensive and traps oil/fat which is easily collected and put into  into containers.

Now how can we get the health dept to make them compulsory for restaurants and portable units, for street vendors.

Education about the advantages of grease traps on reducing pollution, would go a long way.

 

 

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, shaurene said:

This cost the authorities a lot of money, so put enough CCT cameras to cover all the stalls and make it known to them that minimum 1,000 baht fine. And provide something for them to empty the fat into for disposal.

Why should public funding being used for processing refuse from commercial business?

[Simons3]

a spoon full of Trisodium phosphate down your kitchen sink always used to clear out the trapped grease in the household pipes, if enough people did that there wouldn't be a problem in the sewers. not sure how good that would be for the ocean though;)

[overherebc]

8 minutes ago, Simons3 said:

a spoon full of Trisodium phosphate down your kitchen sink always used to clear out the trapped grease in the household pipes, if enough people did that there wouldn't be a problem in the sewers. not sure how good that would be for the ocean though;)

Not so common now but was used a lot in cereal foods processed chese and other things.

Now thought to one cause of osteoporosis.

[Techno Viking]

Surprised a Thai entrepreneur hasn't scooped it out, boiled it up and sell it as gutter oil like they do in China.

 

[PAIBKK]

A German friend once had a restaurant in Bangkok. He was in the hospitality business in Germany before so his restaurant was equiped with German knowledge and standards.

 

He was having a grease filter in the sewers of the kitchen. Also he had a Plastic bin of 220 ltr placed outside for the grease used in the kitchen. See picture. Within one month, 4 got stolen. Each one costs around 3,000 THB (new price). They were chained to the building and locked. Later he had a iron cage build around them. No bins got stolen any more.

 

But an inspection turned out that he was not allowed to store old oils and grease outside, even not inside without a license !!! He applied for a license to store old oils and grease on his property, they were declined !!!

 

He got fined several times for having old grease and oils stored outside. So he asked the Thai inspector what to do with the old grease and oils. His answer: throw in sewer !!! Thais on their best !!!!

[natway09]

Grease traps are available at all big hardware shops & are very cheap (as they are very simple to make)

All food vendors, restaurants should be checked by the Health Dept on a regular basis to ensure using.

Recycling of used fat should be encouraged but there is a certain amount of fat in the cooking process that will find it's way down the drain where the grease trap will separate 

[MyFriend You]

Just lost my appetite for street food - Thank you for the article  (NOT!!)  I used to love street food...............

[farcanell]

Seems like the health minister should be hauled away and thrown in jail for neglect

[01322521959]

My sisters establishment collects the oil in plastic barrels which are bought and taken away every two weeks. Surely something similar could be done here.

[rosst]

20 hours ago, overherebc said:

True but it only takes the first bit of cooking oil/fat to solidify and it's like a magnet for the rest in the system.

One solution is to provide containers in the markets to collect the oil, pick up once a week and find a re-cycle system, ( bio-diesel ) Set a figure of x per kilo' of oil collected, put in a fund, to be used for maintaining the market.

Don't be so sensible please, it can't be true or they would do it. 

[Crossy]

11 minutes ago, rosst said:

Don't be so sensible please, it can't be true or they would do it. 

I cannot speak for the markets, but when we first came here xx years back an old chap came round the local restaurants once a week to collect the used cooking oil, we paid him to take it away.

 

Five years later he decided to offer the service for free. It was then I discovered he was running his ancient indirect-injection Nissan pickup on it, filtered and mixed 50-50 with regular diesel. The exhaust smelled of fried fish 

 

Now, he pays for it and competition is hot, it seems the local farmers have determined that the Iron Buffaloes will run on it, straight, without diesel. I understand he sells the stuff after "cleaning" at 10 Baht a litre, less than half the price of diesel.

 

So, if you're out wandering the rice fields and smell fried fish, you're likely not in for a treat of delicious local food, it's just an old Kubota thumper pumping water

 

No, I don't put it in either of our common-rail diesels!

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

Bring in the Chiese:

 

 

[wgdanson]

On 11/10/2017 at 12:05 AM, grego49 said:

Not only in Bangkok they do it all over the country,Pattaya springs to mind,,,

I read they had a 30 ton Fatburger in London's sewers.

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

I cannot speak for the markets, but when we first came here xx years back an old chap came round the local restaurants once a week to collect the used cooking oil, we paid him to take it away.

 

Five years later he decided to offer the service for free. It was then I discovered he was running his ancient indirect-injection Nissan pickup on it, filtered and mixed 50-50 with regular diesel. The exhaust smelled of fried fish 

 

Now, he pays for it and competition is hot, it seems the local farmers have determined that the Iron Buffaloes will run on it, straight, without diesel. I understand he sells the stuff after "cleaning" at 10 Baht a litre, less than half the price of diesel.

 

So, if you're out wandering the rice fields and smell fried fish, you're likely not in for a treat of delicious local food, it's just an old Kubota thumper pumping water

 

No, I don't put it in either of our common-rail diesels!

 

Not sure but I believe has a bit to do with temperature. Out here it's obviously not a problem but in colder areas to do the same you need a warming system to prevent 'fatbergs' in the injection system. You start on straight deisel then can switch to the mixture when it's warm enough.

Not the first time I've heard the expression ' smells lke driving behind a fish and chip van'.

?