Thailand Chao Phraya Basin Needs Long-Term Flood Prevention Plans

[webfact]

Chao Phraya Basin needs long-term flood prevention plans

By The Nation

The Cabinet will consider a longterm flood prevention plan for the Chao Phraya Basin next month, Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday in his capacity as chief of the government’s coordination centre for floodrelief operations.

“We expect to submit the plan to the Cabinet by December,” he added.

Apirak explained that the centre had already spoken to the governors of 12 provinces in the basin on the subject of better managing resources in the area and preventing flooding.

He said a new and better plan could be developed from the one created in 2000, which covered drainage canals and waterretention areas.

At the teleconference, it was proposed that farmers learn to make adjustments if they live in floodprone areas. “They might need to live in elevated houses so as to avoid flood damage,” Apirak explained.

Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat also said yesterday that it might be necessary to construct elevated buildings for schools in lowlying areas.

“Flooding has hit some areas repeatedly,” Chinnaworn said during his visit to floodhit schools in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Over the past two months, flooding has ravaged dozens of provinces, killing 229 people and causing much property damage.

Chinnaworn said floods had adversely affected up to 3,441 schools with damages totaling Bt3.78 billion. Flooding has also damaged 6.69million rai of paddy fields and 1.79million rai of fruit orchards.

In a related report, director of the Songkhla irrigation project Danaiwit Saibandhit proposed that the Drainage Canal I be enlarged and seven dykes be constructed to avoid flooding in the province, particularly in its main town of Hat Yai. This proposal would require billions of baht to implement.

-- The Nation 2010-11-19

[bushwacker]

Are they really going to do something? Wow!

[bbradsby]

And of the Elephant in the Room, nothing mentioned by any authorities to date. Where is the Leadership??!!!

Required are very basic, well-known sustainable land-use planning & building design standards for all new construction and renovations beyond a relevant threshold such as:

• Reducing impervious cover/maximizing pervious paving;
• Requiring developers to provide onsite (in their Moobahn) greenspace for stormwater retention (not to mention for recreation so the kids have options besides the malls);
• Highrises should have cisterns for rainwater catchment & greywater systems for irrigation & toilets;
• Landscaping design requirements to slow down run-off & absorb the storm surge;
• Reduce subsidence by addressing the groundwater over-extraction problem in BKK through simple water conservation &greywater recycling.
• Green roofs & pervious paving for big box retail with their massive, impervious roofs & parking lots.

[asiawatcher]

It is very hard to resolve flooding on a flood plain delta. But the use of dykes and pimps can move water to higher ground or at least directionalise it. Talk to the Dutch, they are experts in the field with much of Holland below sea level.

[londonthai]

Nakhon Ratchasima in the report is not part of chao phraya basin, why was inluded here (as well as songhla) is strange

[billd766]

Nakhon Ratchasima in the report is not part of chao phraya basin, why was included here (as well as songhla) is strange

Not strange at all.

Small snip from the OP.

Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday in his capacity as chief of the government’s coordination centre for floodrelief operations.

He is the chief for ALL the flood relief operations including Nakhon Ratchasima.