Krabi officials to blow up mountain to prevent further landslides

KRABI: -- Local authorities in a southern seaside resort town of Krabi decided Thursday they would blow up a mountain to prevent further landslides after tonnes of its dirt and rocks washed downhill by a torrential rain early this week had killed three villagers.

Mr. Kitti Ithivith, a government inspector from region 11, had early today traveled to the affected area in Tambon Khao Kram in Muang District of Krabi. He said the local authorities have forbidden villagers to enter into the area due to a threat of further landslides from a nearby mountain which was the source of the massive dirt and rocks.

He said the officials planned to blow up the rest of the mountain tomorrow because it has posed a threat of further landslides.

According to Mr. Siphon Suwankarach, a senior district official, the province would start planting some explosives around the mountain's base on Friday and they would inform the villagers about the plan before hand.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kawee Sukanthamek, who heads Krabi's Disaster Prevention and Relieve Team, said if explosives could not be planted at the foot of the hill due to a risk of landslides, the team would use a helicopter to operate from the air.

He said the massive landslides early this week has caused a river in the north of the mountain to change its way and outburst into nearby rubber plantations. He said the flood water has increased by one meter within a day, causing a damage to at least 3-4 rais of fruits orchards, palm and rubber plantations.

He said the officials have also planned dig up the dirt to divert the flood water from the plantations back into the river.

''If we leave it the way it is, the flood would cause more damage to farmers. But we will have to wait until after we blew up the mountain first since it is too dangerous to go near it and dig up the dirt right now,'' he said.

--TNA 2004-10-21

KRABI: -- Local authorities in a southern seaside resort town of Krabi decided Thursday they would blow up a mountain to prevent further landslides

Why not concrete over the sea while your on.

Erm...I hope they are familar with the 'blowing up the whale' video

Does anyone know if this is this anywhere near Ao nang Bay?

They do not realize that blowing it up actually means blowing it down. Where do they think all of the dirt is going to go? INstead, they could stabilize it, like they do in many other areas of the country and the world.

All I can say is GOOD LUCK!

Then again, why don't they just keep the greens up there? Landslides are caused by loose soil formations on the top of the hills, don't they

I understand its 20 k's away from Ao Nang.

In Malaysia as u travel along the main freeway between Butterworth and KL, there are whole moutnains of rock being excavated.....one day they will be completely flattened. Maybe this would make way for new farmland if they did it in Krabi.

Who stripped the land beforehand so that it became so unstable?

This a man made problem, and cannot be blamed on tourists or

foreign film companies.

i was trying to think last night about this, but it didn't work out. i assume they are talking about a hill of some sort and not a mountain.

are they going to use a nuclear bomb? there is going to be no 'mountain' after this? i guess pictures might help visualize this.

i imagine they are only going to remove a certain portion of the hill in question to make it less prone to mudslide. maybe they will use explosives to break through some rock.

but i was trying to apply some sort of logic to the problem and TIT.

i was trying to think last night about this, but it didn't work out.  i assume they are talking about a hill of some sort  and not a mountain.

are they going to use a nuclear bomb?  there is going to be no 'mountain' after this?  i guess pictures might help visualize this.

i imagine they are only going to remove a certain portion of the hill in question to make it less prone to mudslide.  maybe they will use explosives to break through some rock.

but i was trying to apply some sort of logic to the problem and TIT.

I think "blow-up" is too strong a verb. It simply sounds like they want to do a controlled landslide. The mountains in Krabi are pretty steep. Here is a picture from Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi

And yeah, they are pretty big. I don't think the landscape will change after they blow something up.