Global Warming Highlights Need For Risk Map For Thailand

[webfact]

Global warming highlights need for risk map

By Achara Deboonme

The Nation

Recent disasters have shown Thailand is no longer a natural safe zone and there's growing need for a "risk map" to prepare for unexpected events likely to cause huge financial damage and casualties, said a city planner.

Thongchai Roachanakanan, director of the Department of Town and Country Planning's Centre of Earthquake Disaster Watch and Studies and coordinator of the Climate Change Convention Office, said the map was intended to show areas prone to risk like floods, landslides, drought and quakes.

At present, such a map is available, but - drawn by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry- it is large scale at 1:100,000.

Thongchai's plan is to go for a 1:10,000 scale or eventually 1:2,000 map, which could reveal the risk threat at a given time to a property in a particular area.

Precise data is necessary given weather and terrain conditions can change drastically. Even without volcanoes on its soil, Thailand frequently experiences quakes, for example.

"Disasters in the past few years tell us Thailand cannot sit idly without doing anything to mitigate the impact (of global warming or manmade disasters). The map should raise public awareness, particularly to residents of riskprone areas, of how dangerous their situation is," he said on the sidelines of the GIZsponsored city planning seminar yesterday.

Phuket and Koh Samui are now under the office's close watch, given that some mountains could trigger landslides soon - particularly as rainfall this year could be close to or higher than the 2010 level. Some areas in Chon Buri risk floods due to rises of sea levels in inhabited areas which were mangrove forest just 30 years ago.

Thongchai said it should take at least three years to thoroughly survey all of Thailand. But due to limited budget, he proposed provinces which have frequently witnessed disasters like Nakhon Si Thammarat (floods), Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai (landslide and quakes).

He estimates that for a thorough area research, Nakhon Si Thammarat alone could require a budget of Bt1 billion due to its vast forest area.

"We need satellite help for data comparison. In case of floods, we need to know where water originates and its flow direction. We need to understand conditions can change swiftly, probably every five years," he said. "It's easy to build a property, but when disaster strikes, damage is higher than the construction cost. In the case of a flooded hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, it cost a fortune for medical supplies and equipment. Preparation is necessary."

Thongchai noted that the map could help city planners communicate with local administrations which have authority over development, often without knowing the consequences to the environment. For safety, in some areas, an entire village may need to be relocated given geographical changes and growing risks.

Thongchai acknowledged lack of funds could stall the project and his team is approaching foreign governments. The Netherlands recently approved funds for his 10member team to research the impact of erosion along coastal areas. Cooperation from local universities is also being sought. All data will then be added to the risk map.

Eventually, he expects the map would help parties be aware of risks which could be insured against as a way to mitigate damages.

-- The Nation 2011-06-17

[Mosha]

My wife has family in Pak Phanang in NST, it's very flat and only a small rise in sea levels could create havoc there.

[RickBradford]

I doubt that Thailand ever was a 'natural safe zone' -- but if they want to prevent more floods and landslides, then they've got to stop chopping down vast areas of forest. And if they want to stop sea inundation, they need to replant all those mangroves that were ripped out.

It's just environmental good sense that is required.

[Felt 35]

That sense the authorities haven’t got where I’m located. A well forested steep hill behind us with just a few privately owned houses a temple and a radio station on due to also being a recreational area chopped down in less than two months at the same time the authorities go in front an advertise themselves as doing good planting a three now and then in a nearby pancake flat park!

[Thaddeus]

Stop using the global warming lie to hide behind problems that are self created.

[RickBradford]

One of the problems is that Thailand's population has almost tripled in the last 50 years (1960 estimate 26.2 million).

That is bound to lead to deforestation and clearing of mangroves, as well as a host of other undesirable consequences.

[unanimosity]

Stop using the global warming lie to hide behind problems that are self created.

Amen. Gore and the junk scientists have been exposed for scamming. If a country defends the purchase of junk bomb detectors from an arrested fraudster they will use junk science to wrest public funds and concomitant kickbacks from public coffers.

[Jockey]

Global warming? The earths been cooling for the last 10 years so the liars have changed their marketing to climate change.

[simro]

Good to see some intelligence on this forum!

Global warming? The earths been cooling for the last 10 years so the liars have changed their marketing to climate change.

[sirchai]

Stop using the global warming lie to hide behind problems that are self created.

Global Warming has always been and will always be an issue all around the world. What about all the busses and Tuk- Tuks, producing black clouds behind them?

The plastic producing industries in Rayong, where so many people are suffering from cancer.............

Guess Thais need to understand that using and burning plastic bags isn't the answer to such a complex problem.

It's true, all the problems are self created and it will take a long time to see a change. Do Thai teachers know much about pollution, endangered animals and other problems caused by humans?

Some Thais let oil in the drain when making an oil change, recycled paper isn't easy to find at Thai schools and hard to find an 'educated' teacher who understands what's right and what's wrong. :jap:

[sirchai]

Good to see some intelligence on this forum!

Global warming? The earths been cooling for the last 10 years so the liars have changed their marketing to climate change.

Would you come up with the truth, so many 'specialists' would lose their jobs. :jap:

[Mapguy]

Regret to see too many uninformed posts above about global warming and climate change. That aside, there are several rationales for accurate mapping of the environment to deal with weather and environmental realities to help with crisis prevention and management as well as land development and sustainability of the environment.

The project proposed is quite ambitious, perhaps too ambitious and thus won't be done. To do a static survey at the scales (lots of local detail) suggested may not be feasible, particularly at what it would cost. "Dynamic mapping"would be preferable to account for change within any area over time. But smaller scale (less detail shown) mapping, particularly of "hot spots," such as the low elevations subject to rising ocean levels, flood plains, and earthquake faults, and so on.

If you are confused about the difference between small and large scale maps, join the club! The following is helpful: http://www.eps.mq.edu.au/courses/GEOS264/maps/mapch2/lscale.htm .