Need some expert help here on Koh Chang. The retaining wall built last year has failed in the recent torrential rain, my home is in danger of collapse. Now short on funds and need real expert advice for how to build a retaining wall correctly so that the river does not encrouch any further. Please anyone who can help please PM me.

To do it correctly will not be cheap

Could you contact me on my email as this might be a long reply. [email protected], please send recent photos of damaged area. also please tell me who built the wall, what is was constructed with, also what was used as foundations, etc

Terry

Could you contact me on my email as this might be a long reply. [email protected], please send recent photos of damaged area. also please tell me who built the wall, what is was constructed with, also what was used as foundations, etc

Terry

Thanks Terry, posted this for a friend, will get back to you when I have the info.

It would be useful to others if you could post photos of the damage and details of the solution.

Hope you find a fix soon

Foundations are the key, you may need to drive piling; although I rather suspect that taming a rain swollen river as asking a little too much.

Foundations are the key, you may need to drive piling; although I rather suspect that taming a rain swollen river as asking a little too much.

Much will depend on the location of the piece of land on the meander.

If it is on the outer bank, you will be fighting a losing battle against the erosive force of flowing water.

The land in parts of Koh Chang is subject to soil creep. This is very obvious on the southern end, where all attempts, to complete the ring road around the island, have so far failed.

You will need to get an expert to check your site conditions. ------ The river may not be the only problem ------ in fact the river bed might also be affected by unstable land conditions.

Here are some pics of the retaining wall, its on the slant now.

Your wall is trying to protect the outer bank of the meander. Will not work as soil at end of the wall will slowly erode away and exposes the back of the wall to more erosion.

Long term solution - cut through the inner bank and try straightening the river flow.

Your wall is trying to protect the outer bank of the meander. Will not work as soil at end of the wall will slowly erode away and exposes the back of the wall to more erosion.

Long term solution - cut through the inner bank and try straightening the river flow.

yep id be looking to do something like that, get a machine in on the otherside and start digging to make the water flow closer to the other bank, then id put all the soil from that side infront of your 'wall' then get concrete galore and stick it behind the existing wall.

something like that, but with a bit more thought.

however, changinging the natural flow of the river may have knock on effects further down or on the opposite side.

Thanks for the replys will let you know how it goes.

Agree with the above, very nice, clean looking and inviting river though if not a bit scary for you at the moment..

JFYI Due to the direction of flow and shape the bank across the river is the depositing bank and yours is the eroding bank being downstream of it so this is only a temporary solution as it's going to happen again..

You need a partial break water up stream on your side of the river and prior to the depositing bank to give it any chance of being a long term solution.. You could use natural rocks to maintain the natural look of the river..

Koh Chang is a national park and any modification to existing/natural waterways is very much against the law. What might be allowed in other areas is strictly forbidden on Koh Chang. Piling, building 'breakwaters' upstream, dumping large rocks in the river, etc will NOT be tolerated by the local authorities under any circumstances. I know of no faster way to get in serious trouble than altering the course of a klong (as quite a few individuals on Koh Chang have found out). I'm very surprised the wall was permitted to be installed in the 1st place.

As others have said, building a structure close to the outside bank of any waterway is a recipe for disaster. Moral of this story: Don't fukc with Mother Nature.