Experts ring alarm bells over coastal erosion

By SOMCHAI SAMART 
THE NATION 

 

 

EROSION HAS been eating away five metres of land every year along a combined 42-kilometre-long stretch of Thailand’s coastline.

 

The situation is now so serious that a consulting firm is proposing that the government invoke an already-passed environmental law to protect the hard-hit coasts. 

 

Kittipoj Permpul, a public-participation expert at a consulting firm for a coastal management project, recently said that invoking a protection law was among the measures that could thwart further erosion. 

 

“With five metres of land along the coast gone each year, we have reached a critical point,” he said. 

 

Of the 42km of coastline seriously affected, stretches totalling about 4.48km are in Nakhon Si Thammarat province and about 12km of stretches are in Songkhla province. 

 

“This is a big problem needing urgent solution,” he said. 

 

He has been working on a project analysing information on S11 beach – which runs over 202.2km from Laem Talumphuk in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Pak Phanang district to Sakom Beach in Songkhla’s Thepha district. 

 

“Coastal erosion has been serious in the area because solutions introduced to date have not tackled the root cause of the problem,” Kittipoj said. 

 

He said legislation that could solve the problem has already been passed – the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act of Bt2558. It should now be invoked, said Kittipoj.

 

Article 21 of this act would allow ministerial regulations to be issued to bar activities that would encourage further coastal erosion, to prepare criteria for construction in controlled areas, to suspend any activities seen as conducive to erosion, and prescribe land-usage guidelines in affected areas. With the clause invoked, it would even be possible to introduce any other measures deemed appropriate to prevent coastal erosion. 

 

Kittipoj said his team had explained the project to locals earlier this month. 

 

“We will organise two more forums to discuss measures that should be introduced as solutions, and also to prepare recommendations,” he said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30347959

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-18

Pah get it  in the UK, its a waste of  time trying to stop it its normal, as in other areas you will get sedimentation, its how the planet works, throw  billions at it , it wont help, not ripping out mangroves in the first place if there are any would do something, but  better to remove and farm shrimp in Thai eyes.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The situation is now so serious that a consulting firm is proposing that the government invoke an already-passed environmental law to protect the hard-hit coasts. 

They should just give the PM a call and ask him to come down and shake his Article 44 at the foreshore and make the soil come back. 

I don't see any mention of a committee being formed and that does not fit the Thai tradition of how to fix problems; that will put them at a serious disadvantage. However it seems they plan to hold two forums; maybe in their minds that will compensate for the lack of a committee.

2 hours ago, kannot said:

Pah get it  in the UK, its a waste of  time trying to stop it its normal, as in other areas you will get sedimentation, its how the planet works, throw  billions at it , it wont help, not ripping out mangroves in the first place if there are any would do something, but  better to remove and farm shrimp in Thai eyes.

Solly but i don't agree...in Holland they they built very ingenious system to stop erosion and it works.

https://www.fastcodesign.com/1681986/this-dutch-sand-engine-uses-natures-destructive-power-to-protect-from-flooding

i watched the dredging off the beach around here, and what a complete waste of time...The equipment used was inferior junk. The dredging was done so close to shore that the sand was just travelling up the pipes and returning to the hole it was pumped from....You cant succeed doing it that way. By the time the junk equipment was repair after continuous breakdowns., the sand was already back where it originally came from... bad weather speeds up the process...

Do it properly or dont do it at all....

39 minutes ago, Thian said:

Solly but i don't agree...in Holland they they built very ingenious system to stop erosion and it works.

https://www.fastcodesign.com/1681986/this-dutch-sand-engine-uses-natures-destructive-power-to-protect-from-flooding

Coastline of Thailand, 3219km.

Coastline of Netherlands, 451 km.

I don't even try to compare budgets for such environmental issues.

17 hours ago, arithai12 said:

Coastline of Thailand, 3219km.

Coastline of Netherlands, 451 km.

I don't even try to compare budgets for such environmental issues.

The Thai coast doesn't need protection all around. And those new systems like a sand-engine are not that expensive, it's just a huge pile of sand and nature does the rest. 

 

It's sure possible to stop beacherosion, there are many ways to do it. Just ask the experts from Holland.

Man vs. Nature.....  

 

Nature ALWAYS wins....

 

3 hours ago, Thian said:

The Thai coast doesn't need protection all around. And those new systems like a sand-engine are not that expensive, it's just a huge pile of sand and nature does the rest. 

 

It's sure possible to stop beacherosion, there are many ways to do it. Just ask the experts from Holland.

Well I looked at it from the Thai point of  view. Im  sure  Holland has the expertise alright.

6 minutes ago, kannot said:

Well I looked at it from the Thai point of  view. Im  sure  Holland has the expertise alright.

I'm no expert but as a dutchy i noticed that i know a lot more about water than the average thai does. 

 

I think mangroves also stop beacherosion, that's a cheap green solution but it will cost them prawnfarms.

 

But i have never seen real waves on a thai beach, yes after the tsunami on samui there were waves but nothing that stops me from swimming. The North sea is a different story though.