Pattaya Authorities Remain On High Alert As Floods Cause Havoc Around The City.

[poldebol]

Nothing can stop Thailand now to become the international hub of floods.

[Robbie Dye]

That was an unbelievable amount of rain is such a short period of time. I was driving down Soi Siam Country Club and saw the water shooting 2 feet up out of the storm drains and was worried it was going to start running in under the doors of my truck. However I have seen worse flooding in Canada after a really good rain so don't start bashing Thailand over this. Every country gets the same thing and builds their storm drains for the "average" year and expects flooding occasionally.

In the UK it would be just as incompetent or I would rather say unlucky, flooding in the Hanger Lane underpass not unknown, and of course we have the wrong sort of leaves on the railway tracks in the autumn! Pattaya is doing what it can, don't knock it. Have FUN in the floods, you'll not need a car wash for a month.

[Nemothepemo]

I used to live in Hilo, Hawaii. That city has an average rainfall of over 300 inches a year. That is almost an inch a day for the expats who are not sober enough to do the math themselves. The porous nature of the lava on which the city was built allowed the water to drain off immediately so the streets remained relatively dry. But, with that much water every day I developed a raging case of toenail fungus. I suggest that Pattaya citizens check their feet carefully during this storm system.

[Sherlocke]

I would think toenail fungus is the least of the problems - what about Cholera?

Edited October 13, 2009 by Sherlocke

[Sherlocke]

THis warning was dug up and a similar one put on the news yesterday...........says more about the politician than the risk I think... (apt name?)

"Permanent Secretary for Public Health Prat Boonyawongvirot (ปราชญ์ บุณยวงศ์วิโรจน์) warns residents living in flooded areas, especially children, of leeches penetrating anus, vagina, and urine tube.

A male in Sing Buri had a leech penetrating his anus and was later saved by a doctor. It is suggested that people should dress properly by wearing underwear and pants with elastic ankle cuffs to prevent leeches, if they have to wade through flood water.

Doctor Prat Boonyawongvirot, who today visited mobile medical units aiding affected villagers in Sing Buri, said the man was recovering. He warned children not to play in flood water due to leeches.

Dr Prat said further that leeches are bloodsucking animals. They live in still water such as swamps or streams. There are two kinds of leeches which are hirudinaria manillensis and the limnatis species. The latter type of leeches can get into eyes, noses, and mouths if victims drink or use water to wash their face in streams where leeches inhabit. The animal can enter throat, alimentary canal or windpipe quickly. The symptoms expected are nose bleeding and coughing or vomiting with blood which make patients lose much blood. A leech in nasal cavity causes a long period of headache and short of air to breathe. In addition, leeches can get through vagina, anus, or urine tube of those bathing in a stream.

News ID: 254910080020

Reporter : Chindarat Bovonboriharn

News Date : 08 October 2006

Edited October 13, 2009 by Sherlocke

[Sherlocke]

a bit more.....

"Leeches pose the greatest threat to health in Thailand during flooding in towns and cities. The flood water brings sewage to the surface from drains. Leeches swept in from country areas cause wounds which become infected. During a series of recent floods across Thailand, many thousands of people became ill in this way. The government recommended wearing jeans and tying plastic bags around the feet to keep the leeches at bay- a low tech solution that would probably help."

[Sherlocke]

OR.....

"BANGKOK 11 October, 2009 (NNT) - Public Health Ministry Spokesperson Suphan Srithamma has warned people dwelling in flooded areas to wear clothes that cover all areas of the body to prevent giant leeches.

Mr. Supan said such leech is known to locals as wild water buffalo leech. She cited bio-facts that leeches are normally found in swamps and streams. In time of inundations, they possibly come with flood water. As blood suckers, they can harm locals by worming their way into human bodies.

The spokesperson said that if walking in floods is unavoidable, people are suggested to wear proper clothes with underpants and trousers with full-length legs fastened at both end and also to wrap feet and ankles with plastic bags."

News ID: 255210110034

Reporter : Boonsong Lipimas

News Date : 11 October 2009

Edited October 13, 2009 by Sherlocke

[scrabbleking]

One would come to think that after so many years and after the billions of baht that are made and spent in that city that this problem would have been tackled years ago.....

Maybe this is their way of going after the 'high-end tourists' by make it the Venice of the Orient......

exactly my thoughts too ....

while it must be difficult to avoid any flooding, it never ceases to amaze me that the money they make here

(given the number of police checkpoints that check for helmets, driving licenses and insurance for example)

doesn't suffice to finally finish the work on Thappraya Road (where still accidents happen on a daily basis due

to people losing control over their motorbikes on the sand or falling in one of the huge potholes covering it)

or to at least fill up these HUGE potholes on 2nd road between Pratumnak and Pattaya Tai.

I am just waiting until the first victim who run into an accident caused by these obstacles files a lawsuit

against the authorities ... since it seems no one of them gives a sh*t about it.

"file a lawsuit against the authorites...." Did you get off the plane yesterday or the day before yesterday? Hey by the way do you wannt to buy a beer bar?

[TheAceFace]

Currently working away at the moment and the family have travelled up country, can anybody shed any light on how the Darkside is affected....much flooding there? I'm mainly concerned about the development near Sure Park?

Sympathies too, to those who have been affected by this.

[moskito]

Pattaya isn't a desert town - it experiences a wet season every year - and floods every year - it's not as if the rain is a huge surprise!

absolutely right!

Ever been to Singapore? never happend here, because they build a lot of wide drain channels. In Thailand its very common to use all the space

in front houses for parking cars, motobikes, tuk tuks and advertisements, specially in Tourist areas. There are not even walkways for the

tourists which often walk with kids on the road in the past years.

And we think they will waste any space for a drain system?

[IHateCaptcha]

Currently working away at the moment and the family have travelled up country, can anybody shed any light on how the Darkside is affected....much flooding there? I'm mainly concerned about the development near Sure Park?

I doubt you have anything to worry about...most areas on the Darkside are on high-ground or sloping hills so water drains away quickly and doesn't gather in large pools like you find along Sukhumvit or the lower portions of Central and South Pattaya roads.

I like on Nernplubwan and during the entireity of the "flooding" there has been no problems in this area.

[Sherlocke]

One would come to think that after so many years and after the billions of baht that are made and spent in that city that this problem would have been tackled years ago.....

Maybe this is their way of going after the 'high-end tourists' by make it the Venice of the Orient......

exactly my thoughts too ....

while it must be difficult to avoid any flooding, it never ceases to amaze me that the money they make here

(given the number of police checkpoints that check for helmets, driving licenses and insurance for example)

doesn't suffice to finally finish the work on Thappraya Road (where still accidents happen on a daily basis due

to people losing control over their motorbikes on the sand or falling in one of the huge potholes covering it)

or to at least fill up these HUGE potholes on 2nd road between Pratumnak and Pattaya Tai.

I am just waiting until the first victim who run into an accident caused by these obstacles files a lawsuit

against the authorities ... since it seems no one of them gives a sh*t about it.

"file a lawsuit against the authorites...." Did you get off the plane yesterday or the day before yesterday? Hey by the way do you wannt to buy a beer bar? -

Why? you didn't buy one did you?

[Alarm]

Yeah its a pain to get from a to b

[dude007]

No city in the world can cope with such heavy downpours. I have seen personally the city of Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia, in the middle of an enormous desert) being flooded by more than 0.50 meters of water. Developing a drainage system which could cope with that amount of rainfall in such short period of time would not be realistic and way too expensive. Every storm drainage project allows for a certain percentage of flooding, which is NEVER 100%. It may take 50 years more before this flooding will ever happen again in Pattaya, but this time they really got it...

Feel so sorry for those who have lost much money in water damage from this flooding in a period where tourism is at its lowest level ever.

Wait until the sea water level will start raising. Be prepared now already!

Hey, don't say "no city in the world" until you see them all. The rain doesn't fall all at once but over some period of time that if the drainage is designed of the right capacity and the distance to the sea is short would allow all the water to clear. I lived in Singapore for few years and experienced very heavy rains but there was almost no flooding. You should see perhaps the drainage canals they have there all over the city. At the same time the floods were disastrous on the other side of the bridge in Johor Baru, Malaysia. Here in Koh Samui, where I live now, and that is a island alike Singapore even a small amount of rain causes floods. They are all man-made floods due to the blockage of natural creaks and waterways that used to take the water back to the sea. There is no excuse to floods in gently rising coastal areas like Samui or Pattaya. Unless of course the water build-up comes from the sea (cyclone, tsunami) which we are not discussing here.

I feel pretty sure that also Singapore, which drainage system seems to impress you (and you're probably right about that), one day will also have its part of the flooding. All depends on how much rains fall in how much time. If half of the yearly rainfall falls down in just one day, then I am sure that also Singapore will have its part of the problem. And these things happen more and more (like a dramatic increase in the yearly number of cyclones and typhones all over the world).

But as it has been told in this forum that this situation has occurred in Pattaya about 3 to 4 times in just 5 years, then the drainage system has been clearly underdesigned and underdimensioned. Budget constraints? Not enough statistics on rainfall? Place constraint to build the storm drains? Corruption during the project implementation (unlikely since this is for everyone visible WHAT they are constructing and how big, although no tourist or passer-by has the construction drawings)... and the problem is for the locals.

[PEP]

Let's hope these floods can clean up the filth.

Human and otherwise. Plenty to choose from!

[TPI]

Pattaya nice and clean

At least the smell from the drains has gone!

[khaowong1]

One would come to think that after so many years and after the billions of baht that are made and spent in that city that this problem would have been tackled years ago.....

Maybe this is their way of going after the 'high-end tourists' by make it the Venice of the Orient......

No city in the world can cope with such heavy downpours. I have seen personally the city of Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia, in the middle of an enormous desert) being flooded by more than 0.50 meters of water. Developing a drainage system which could cope with that amount of rainfall in such short period of time would not be realistic and way too expensive. Every storm drainage project allows for a certain percentage of flooding, which is NEVER 100%. It may take 50 years more before this flooding will ever happen again in Pattaya, but this time they really got it...

Feel so sorry for those who have lost much money in water damage from this flooding in a period where tourism is at its lowest level ever.

Wait until the sea water level will start raising. Be prepared now already!

I've seen the same thing in Phoenix Arizona. You can go along for 5 - 6 years with normal rainfall, then one day get one of those 100 year rains that cause all the flood channels to back up.. no one can predict it and with out spending millions and millions of dollars, there's no way to prevent it from happening again..

[Rimmer]

No city in the world can cope with such heavy downpours. I have seen personally the city of Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia, in the middle of an enormous desert) being flooded by more than 0.50 meters of water. Developing a drainage system which could cope with that amount of rainfall in such short period of time would not be realistic and way too expensive. Every storm drainage project allows for a certain percentage of flooding, which is NEVER 100%. It may take 50 years more before this flooding will ever happen again in Pattaya, but this time they really got it...

Feel so sorry for those who have lost much money in water damage from this flooding in a period where tourism is at its lowest level ever.

Wait until the sea water level will start raising. Be prepared now already!

Hey, don't say "no city in the world" until you see them all. The rain doesn't fall all at once but over some period of time that if the drainage is designed of the right capacity and the distance to the sea is short would allow all the water to clear. I lived in Singapore for few years and experienced very heavy rains but there was almost no flooding. You should see perhaps the drainage canals they have there all over the city. At the same time the floods were disastrous on the other side of the bridge in Johor Baru, Malaysia. Here in Koh Samui, where I live now, and that is a island alike Singapore even a small amount of rain causes floods. They are all man-made floods due to the blockage of natural creaks and waterways that used to take the water back to the sea. There is no excuse to floods in gently rising coastal areas like Samui or Pattaya. Unless of course the water build-up comes from the sea (cyclone, tsunami) which we are not discussing here.

I feel pretty sure that also Singapore, which drainage system seems to impress you (and you're probably right about that), one day will also have its part of the flooding. All depends on how much rains fall in how much time. If half of the yearly rainfall falls down in just one day, then I am sure that also Singapore will have its part of the problem. And these things happen more and more (like a dramatic increase in the yearly number of cyclones and typhones all over the world).

But as it has been told in this forum that this situation has occurred in Pattaya about 3 to 4 times in just 5 years, then the drainage system has been clearly underdesigned and underdimensioned. Budget constraints? Not enough statistics on rainfall? Place constraint to build the storm drains? Corruption during the project implementation (unlikely since this is for everyone visible WHAT they are constructing and how big, although no tourist or passer-by has the construction drawings)... and the problem is for the locals.

I lived in Singapore 22 years, and as a long time hasher there did many 'underground' runs completely inside the storm drains without ever once coming up into the open. The system is massive, they are big enough to walk in or ride a bicycle in.

I can remember before they built the big storm drain along Bukit Timah Road the road was always flooded but they attacked the problem and got it licked but one has to remember that storm drains stay empty for 355 days a year and I doubt that Pattaya City council would be willing to spend or even be allocated a budget for a project of this magnitude for something that gets used so infrequently. One should also remember that a storm drain system is not connected to city sewer pipes it runs unobstructed out to sea.

Any system here that could cope with the massive water that we get would also become a home for many homeless people so what happens to them when it rains? Very difficult problems all round methinks.

[Maestro]

An off-topic and nonsensical post about TV (television) has been deleted.

--

Maestro

[Sherlocke]

It is fairly clear that the flooding in Pattaya is the result of man-made environmental problems.

Streets and buildings erected with little forethought and the drainage infrastructure inserted as a bandaid-like afterthought.

It was not the rain in central Pattaya itself that was the problem, it was the run-off from the hinterland.

I haven't got the figure but I'm pretty sure Singapore has a much higher annual rainfall than Pattaya.

whether the weather is "getting worse" or not is a red-herring as far as Pattaya is concerned

[moo9]

Currently working away at the moment and the family have travelled up country, can anybody shed any light on how the Darkside is affected....much flooding there? I'm mainly concerned about the development near Sure Park?

Sympathies too, to those who have been affected by this.

Nothing special. Soi Siam Country gets flooded as usual at the lowest point, about 600 m before the railway crossing if you head to Pattaya.

I don't know the situation in the the other Sois.

But my pool is full ;-)

[wade72]

I have read most of the posts here, and it was a while back that I posted on the day of the flood. One thing that keeps coming up is Singapore gets more rainfall then Pattaya. That might be true I don't know. However to compare the two cities is ridiculous. What Singapore can spend on storm drains and what Pattaya can isn't quite the same. Corruption, tea money, etc. Pattaya can not even come close to Singapore on budgets etc. All of your Singapore posts are no different then saying London has a tube, so should Pattaya, Bangkok has a BTS so should Pattaya.

I don't know what the rainfall was that day and someone didn't like the "unbelievable amount of rain" comment and wanted it quantified, so I will use a more technical term "a sh*t load of rain" anyways, it flooded yes, someone said it has happened 3 or 4 times in his 5 years, tourism, bars, bar girls, shopping, etc. Where would the billion plus dollars, not baht, come from that it would cost to upgrade the storm sewers to a level that Singapore has spent?

Anyways for the longest time I have quit reading TV since every time I read it I get the same crap, "why isn't Thailand the same as my home country?" If people want to sit back daily, moan and complain about this country, possibly use my mantra. "If I am not happy here several hundred planes leave Suvarnabumi daily, I can be on any one of them"

[Dpolenz]

So even though people have bought homes/condos excetra here and have a Thai familly that they support and contribute to the economy they cant complain about anything is that correct?