Discarded household items blamed for blocking flow in Bangkok’s main canals

[webfact]

 

Discarded household items, like old mattresses, furniture and other refuse, which have been dumped into Bangkok’s canals, are being blamed for blocking the flow of water into the Chao Phraya River.

 

According to the Department of Drainage and Sewerage of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), 5-10 tonnes of the garbage are fished out of the canals each day, especially at the main water pumping station in Phra Khanong and at the Rama 9 water tunnel, which are the last points before canal water flows into the Chao Phraya River, with the help of water pumps.

 

 

The PR office of the BMA posted a notice on its Facebook page asking, somewhat sarcastically, for the owner of a discarded mattress stuck in the filter at the Rama 9 tunnel to claim it.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/discarded-household-items-blamed-for-blocking-flow-in-bangkoks-main-canals/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-09-13

 

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[RichardColeman]

Thus proving once again, that to 95% of Thais , if a bin is not within arms reach , the rubbish goes on the floor or in the klong.

[2baht]

Grubs!

[ezzra]

We foreigners can complain and mock the Thais as much as we can and WE DO, A LOT... but it will change nothing, that's the way they live before us foreinergher came to live among the them and it will continue no matter what we say of criticize...

[ChrisY1]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Thus proving once again, that to 95% of Thais , if a bin is not within arms reach , the rubbish goes on the floor or in the klong. Disgustingly filthy country sadly. 

Absolutely correct. Unbelievable that Thais have no civil pride whatsoever

[ThaiFelix]

While some Thais do indeed need a kick in the rump over their bad littering habits,  I dont think anything will improve until those in charge make it easier for people to dispose of rubbish.  Just as there is a lack of rubbish bins in the city streets there is a lack of facilities to handle larger waste such as old furniture, white goods etc.  Back home the local councils would have a truck coming around once or twice a year to collect old white goods, matteresses etc. for free.  No such service exists here.  Have you ever tried to get rid of an old mattress here?

 

 

[jacknorman]

so its ok then

[Sydebolle]

The answer to this is EDUCATION, show gruesome pictures on the telly and in ThaiRath as well as other dailies. How about creating TV clips where someone at home in a household over the kitchen sink wants to wash veggies and upon opening the tap there's the present sludge of Klong water splashing all over the virgin veggies. Buying bottled water which, upon pouring into a nice clean glass at home, results in smelly oily waste water coming out of the bottle. Cheap in production and a massive impact by visualization of the problem.

After all, it is the society's responsibility to keep the black sheep identified and punished. Award people nicely for reporting those pristine examples of dwellers dumping God only knows what when nobody seems to see anything - and put juicy fines onto these idiots. There is no way around calling a dirty pig a dirty pig, irrespective of losing face. 

Likewise it might be interesting, why the authorities manage to clear the clogged waterways from 5 - 10 tons of serious garbage only. 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Thus proving once again, that to 95% of Thais , if a bin is not within arms reach , the rubbish goes on the floor or in the klong. Disgustingly filthy country sadly. 

My wife leaves supermarket receipts and other stuff on the counter when there is a bin there beside it. Difficult to fathom, but I just let it go.

[Bangkok Barry]

25 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

The answer to this is EDUCATION, show gruesome pictures on the telly and in ThaiRath as well as other dailies. How about creating TV clips where someone at home in a household over the kitchen sink wants to wash veggies and upon opening the tap there's the present sludge of Klong water splashing all over the virgin veggies. Buying bottled water which, upon pouring into a nice clean glass at home, results in smelly oily waste water coming out of the bottle. Cheap in production and a massive impact by visualization of the problem.

After all, it is the society's responsibility to keep the black sheep identified and punished. Award people nicely for reporting those pristine examples of dwellers dumping God only knows what when nobody seems to see anything - and put juicy fines onto these idiots. There is no way around calling a dirty pig a dirty pig, irrespective of losing face. 

Likewise it might be interesting, why the authorities manage to clear the clogged waterways from 5 - 10 tons of serious garbage only. 

More importantly, why don't they show every night bodies crushed and mangled in road accidents, alongside their none-stop same story every day soaps.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Absolutely correct. Unbelievable that Thais have no civil pride whatsoever

They had pride once.. it was taken away by the junta and corruption, now no-one gives a stuff about anything.

[2baht]

19 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

More importantly, why don't they show every night bodies crushed and mangled in road accidents, alongside their none-stop same story every day soaps.

Because soaps have a higher priority! ????

[RandolphGB]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

They had pride once.. it was taken away by the junta and corruption, now no-one gives a stuff about anything.

This is common theme among Thais, to blame the army. They'll always find someone else to blame and never take responsibility. 

[RandolphGB]

It's the mattress's fault. Couldn't possibly have been a Thai who dumped it there. Must be Burmese. 

[toofarnorth]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Thus proving once again, that to 95% of Thais , if a bin is not within arms reach , the rubbish goes on the floor or in the klong. Disgustingly filthy country sadly. 

I think you are right with Thais and rubbish.  I ride my bicycle through the rice fields most days and every time I do I see more bags of rubbish, they must just come along , open a window and chuck it out. There is a low bridge on the way and the locals meet there and leave their empties behind . After about 3 days the bottles have gone so someone must remove them unless they get chucked in the klong.

[trainman34014]

And which 'Officials' do we blame for not ordering the Klongs to be cleaned out properly before the Monsoon Season starts ?    Much of the rubbish is well known to be there for many months but nothing happens because sitting in cozy offices; running another business, playing Golf, or out with the Mia Noi take priority over 'work'.   Serious Management of just about everything in Thailand is ignored until some disaster happens........and then it's 'nobody's fault' !!

[2long]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

My wife leaves supermarket receipts and other stuff on the counter when there is a bin there beside it. Difficult to fathom, but I just let it go.

My wife puts rubbish IN the sink, which is next to the bin. Her argument is that she's the only one who washes the dishes, so she will 'sort it out' in her own time. I hate it, but can't un-train her from this ghastly habit!

[ed strong]

To be fair New York and other cities used to throw all their rubbish into the river, including all the slot machines / one armed bandits.

 

Thailand are just around 50 years behind 1st world countries (although thats not necessarily something to aspire to)

[Isaan sailor]

Thais in Bangkok are saints compared to the homeless in San Fran and L.A.  Guess what they leave on the sidewalks?

[transam]

I live on the edge of a lake, to drive round it is about 7km. Housing is sparse, so you can guess what happens after dark regarding dumping cr@p.

 

Sadly, no gov agency does anything about clearing it up......????

[RocketDog]

11 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Thus proving once again, that to 95% of Thais , if a bin is not within arms reach , the rubbish goes on the floor or in the klong.

Or beside a road to be later burned by the local pyromaniacs.

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, ed strong said:

Thailand are just around 50 years behind 1st world countries (although thats not necessarily something to aspire to)

This is really the key.  Thailand might have some money and some flash malls, but it's really a poor third world country in most respects.  These things happen very gradually, and to expect Thai people, who mostly still believe in ghosts, magic, spirits, luck, fate, etc., to behave like socially responsible people is quite an ask.  Especially when an absolute cornerstone of Thai culture is to not hold people responsible for anything, not cause people to lose face, and not to really make a fuss about something.

 

It will probably happen eventually.  But, as you say, the changes that come with it might not be to everyone's liking.

[owl sees all]

6 hours ago, 2long said:

My wife puts rubbish IN the sink, which is next to the bin. Her argument is that she's the only one who washes the dishes, so she will 'sort it out' in her own time. I hate it, but can't un-train her from this ghastly habit!

[Lee4Life]

12 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

It's the mattress's fault. Couldn't possibly have been a Thai who dumped it there. Must be Burmese. 

actually it's the fault of the bedbugs which made the mattress unbearable to sleep on???? Those things are dumped everywhere up here in Isaan too, killing off the bedbugs would solve a large percentage of mattress dumping in Thailand.

[Sydebolle]

23 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

More importantly, why don't they show every night bodies crushed and mangled in road accidents, alongside their none-stop same story every day soaps.

Spot on, one does not exclude the other .........