Bangkok: Nothing Can Stop Flooding

[george]

Apirak: No stopping the floods

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday said flooding would be inevitable in the event of a major downpour dumping over 60mm of rainwater on the city.

City officials would be able to drain away floodwater within a few hours after normal heavy rain.

However, it would take longer in case of heavy downpours because the existing canals and drainage systems were inadequate to cope with such huge amounts of rainfall, Mr Apirak said.

The governor's comments followed heavy flooding in Bangkok on Wednesday brought on by prolonged downpours.

There were 14 spots in the city where draining away the flood waters would take longer than usual, including the Sanam Pao area, Chaeng Wattana and Pracha Songkhro roads, the governor said.

However, a canal was being built to drain water from Saen Saep canal to the Chao Phraya river. Once completed, it would help ease the flooding problems in the Bang Kapi, Huay Khwang and Wattana districts.

Mr Apirak said that a new rain forecast radar system to be installed on Aug 1 would not help solve flooding problems but would boost the city's efficiency in tackling floods.

The radar would be able to forecast rain three hours before it arrived in the vicinity of Bangkok, and could detect rain clouds within a 120km radius.

This would give city officials more time to prepare for possible flooding and allow motorists to better plan their routes.

--Bangkok Post 2005-07-15