Bangkok Governor Pushes B9m Plan for Lifesaving Seismographs

[webfact]

Generic image for reference only

 

Bangkok's governor Chadchart Sittipunt is on a mission to secure a nine-million-baht budget for installing earthquake measurement devices across eight skyscraping hospitals in the city.

 

After a similar proposal failed to pass in September 2023, Chadchart is giving it another go, banking on a shift in the City Council's stance in light of recent seismic concerns.

 

His proposition comes as a safety measure to protect tall hospital buildings like the towering 37-storey Thani Nopparat Building and the 17-storey Somdet Chao Phraya Taksin Maharat Building.

 

Chadchart highlights the newfound affordability and critical nature of the technology that gathers essential data to ensure structural safety. The budget might come from the 2026 fiscal allocations or central government funds.

 

 

 

The Bangkok governor is keen on reinforcing public confidence by potentially expanding the installation of these devices beyond hospitals to other government and private structures, should the initial phase succeed.

 

These seismographs, estimated at nine million baht, promise not only to be lifesavers but also pivotal in enhancing data reliability for future urban planning and crisis management.

 

Based on a story by Bangkok Post

 

-- 2025-04-03

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

His proposition comes as a safety measure to protect tall hospital buildings like the towering 37-storey Thani Nopparat Building and the 17-storey Somdet Chao Phraya Taksin Maharat Building.

 

For goodness sake.

A seismograph does not save lives.

It is already happening when the thing records it.

That is too late.

 

The buildings that he wants to 'protect' are completed already, are they not?

What will he do when there is an earthquake - send people to the site to hold it steady?

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

For goodness sake.

A seismograph does not save lives.

It is already happening when the thing records it.

That is too late.

 

The buildings that he wants to 'protect' are completed already, are they not?

What will he do when there is an earthquake - send people to the site to hold it steady?

Totally agree waste of money 

[hotchilli]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Bangkok's governor Chadchart Sittipunt is on a mission to secure a nine-million-baht budget for installing earthquake measurement devices across eight skyscraping hospitals in the city.

That'll go down like the Tsunami warnings...

[Formaleins]

Why not go that extra mile as they usually do when having their usual knee jerk (oops, we did F all again as usual) I think everyone should be made to wear their own personal seismograph arranged by the usual benevolent dictators that run the place - Hell, they can charge tourists $100 per day to rent a mandatory seismic warning device, along with their personal flood detector which is mounted besides their rented personal tracking device that lets the benevolent dictatorship to track you and make you safe at all times when discovering new places under the coconut shell of Thailand.

 

I would hope that those registering for the Thailand Elite Card will be given Geiger counters too in case of radiation leaks, this will be fitted just to the left of the yellow canary that will protect these wealth infusing foreign tourists.

 

Special offers include a free 3 month rental on the coffee shop of your choice after you rack up two qualifying stays.

 

Whoops - almost forgot the $60 rental for the personal Tsunami and large wave indicator protection system.

[Gandtee]

If they do get them, how long will it take before they are no longer operational? Look at the tsunami warning system. Out of sight. Out of mind. "We are still being paid to maintain them but nothing will happen. Mai ben rai."😔

[klauskunkel]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Chadchart Sittipunt

Look, I know you are trying to come up with stuff

but,

you wanna put seismographs in hospitals? Why hospitals, any building will do. Who will monitor and interpret them? 24hrs, every day?

 

[Nickcage49]

And once the seismography measures the earthquake, what good is it? The damage is done.

 

As someone who comes from earthquake country (San Francisco) I know a little bit about the topic, lol

 

Maybe these clueless politicians should learn that retrofitting buildings to earthquake standards is what's important.

[JJ-Thailand]

Who will pay? All the money is in Dubai.

[malibukid]

buy more misters for change mai

[connda]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:10 AM, webfact said:

These seismographs, estimated at nine million baht, promise not only to be lifesavers

How are they "lifesavers."  In the middle of a major earthquake there is too much movement in the building to evacuate. 

"We need seismographs to tell us that an earthquake is happening."

Any conscientious human can tell that an earthquake is happening.  My guess is that this is a money-maker for someone connected to the government.

[portisaacozzy]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:37 AM, Tropicalevo said:

 

For goodness sake.

A seismograph does not save lives.

It is already happening when the thing records it.

That is too late.

 

The buildings that he wants to 'protect' are completed already, are they not?

What will he do when there is an earthquake - send people to the site to hold it steady?

seismographs 934$,   earthquake detectors 1158BT Lazada.

[Aussie999]

Can some explain how they will "save" lives...they do not fore warn of an impending earthquake, they do tell you you've had one... Seems the mayor has found a way to make money.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Weeping woman - "What is the zig-zag line drawing you keep showing me?"

 

Official -                   " It's the seismograph record of the tremor which collapsed the building your                                                     husband died in"

 

Weeping woman -    (screaming)  "Are you out of your effin mind?"

[NoDisplayName]

The ancient Chinese earthquake detector, known as a seismoscope, was invented by Zhang Heng in 132 AD. It was a bronze device featuring eight dragon heads that indicated the direction of an earthquake by dropping a ball into the mouth of a corresponding toad below.

 

36 copies currently available on ebay, starting at only 10,000 baht, with free shipping from China.

 

Buy two, get eggroll!

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=seismograph+chinese&_sop=12

 

[MikeandDow]

He wants to buy   seismographs budget 9 million baht  and put them in tower buildings ,    you can buy the machine for 40,000 each the best placement is seismographs are ideally placed in quiet, remote areas on hard rock, far from noise sources like traffic and industry, and preferably in subsurface locations for temperature stability.  is this not blatent courupption !!!!  does nobody do research or due diligence when spending tax payers money Thailand should be ashamed letting people do this

[thesetat]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:37 AM, Tropicalevo said:

 

For goodness sake.

A seismograph does not save lives.

It is already happening when the thing records it.

That is too late.

 

The buildings that he wants to 'protect' are completed already, are they not?

What will he do when there is an earthquake - send people to the site to hold it steady?

Yeah... but these are not to be used to save lives. This bid for money is just that. A way to get a lot of money using the excuse of protecting from a future disaster. Imagine the profit from the contracts if he gets the funding. Seismographs are pretty much useless in a noisy city. 

[NoDisplayName]

Why bother with seismographs when they already have sensors on hand that will be just as effective?  Over 1300 GT200's were purchased, enough to outfit every high rise in Bangkok. 

 

Now they just need to find 1300 highly educated and proficient nephews and cousins to pay a 50,000 100,000 baht/month salary to operate them.

 

Thailand purchased 1,310 of the devices at a cost of Bt1.08 billion, with orders filled for the Royal Thai Army’s Ordnance Department, the Finance Ministry, Royal Thai Police, the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Office of the Narcotic Control Board, the Interior Ministry’s Administration Department, and the Armed Forces Security Centre. 

The price for each device varied wildly between Bt500,000 and Bt1 million, according to which agency was doing the buying.