Chiang Mai Mayor Progress Report: One Year On

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Chiang Mai Mayor Progress Report: One Year On

By Shana Kongmun

Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn points out the flood map for Chiang Mai, noting

the drainage from Doi Suthep into the city. (Photo by Ronnakit Norkham)

Chiang Mai Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn was interviewed by the Chiang Mai Mail a little more than a year ago and at that time said he felt it was better to assign a few tasks, complete them and move on. One year on and we came back to ask, “Has he completed the tasks he assigned himself and what does he plan for the upcoming year?”

A year ago he said he planned on finishing the Municipal Building that had been under construction for 7 years and since the new offices have now moved into the finished building, getting what was becoming referred to as the “700 year building” completed and occupied in a year certainly qualifies.

Another task he set himself was the completion of the Railway Park. Sadly, the city is still in the middle of a legal dispute with the contractor, but the park is now open and ready to use although there are still some improvements that can be made.

Another task he set was to complete the burial of cables along Chang Klan and Ta Phae Road, a monumental task that had been proposed many years prior, and which finally came to fruition as reported in October.

When asked what his goals were for the coming year, as a part of his plan to take things a step at a time, Mayor Tussanai said he hopes to open another public garden, better improve flood prevention for the city, and improve the waste system by increasing recycling of plant materials into compost and a plan to introduce a methane power plant from the city’s landfill which, if it comes to fruition will sell the electricity back to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). This will not only offer a cleaner fuel source but save the city at least 20 million Baht a year. The Mayor noted that this plan was still in the pipeline but he hopes to have it started in the next year or so.

He said they are currently working on flood control issues in Chiang Mai and have been doing so for quite some time. The Mayor noted that while they started sandbagging heavily over a month ago, sandbags must be replaced daily as they often disappear. Area residents have requested that sandbags be placed when it looks like it’s going to flood but as Mayor Tussanai pointed out, this isn’t feasible, the bags take time to fill and move and require a lot of manpower. The Mayor added that the sandbags will remain in place at least until the end of October when the rainy season normally ends.

Both the Ping River and the canals have been dredged with the Mae Kha canal flowing directly into the river. Additionally, pumping stations have been placed around the city to alleviate flooding in city streets. The Mayor said that when Nock Ten hit earlier this month the river rose 2 meters in 3 days, with the sandbags already in place playing a key role in reducing flooding. Additionally, with the dredging, the river can flow fast enough to keep it from backing up. The main concern he pointed out is if Chiang Mai got hit by two storms subsequently, the water volume would be more than the river could cope with.

Other plans in the pipeline include renovation plans for Suan Buak Hat Park to make it more handicap accessible including adding handicapped facilities in the bathrooms. Road repairs to some of the major roads that have had damage but that will take place after the end of the rainy season, since, as he pointed out, fixing them in the rainy season would be very difficult and simply make the roads worse from sand and dirt everywhere. The Municipality has added two bus routes, one from Chang Phuak Bus Station up to Nakorn Ping Hospital and back into town, inside the moat and back to Chang Phuak station, the other from the Arcade Bus Station to Central Airport Plaza then out to the Night Safari and back into town. He noted that some other buses running in town were private ventures privately funded and staffed.

A new museum will be opening opposite 3 Kings Monument and will focus on Chiang Mai city history and culture; the location will make it more accessible for tourists. Another plan that will come to fruition soon will be two hotlines that people can call for help and information, and consolidate the current 20 or so that list every office in the city. He plans to staff this call center with handicapped people to give them greater opportunities.

Another major goal for the Mayor and his team is to improve education for the poorer schoolchildren going to municipal schools by creating a learning center that will offer extracurricular tuition and learning for these students. Another plan is to implement what the Mayor calls Lanna 101 classes.

“Education comes from the Central government and teaches everyone the same thing, even me,” the Mayor said. “If I hadn’t read about Chiang Mai history, I wouldn’t know it. Chiang Mai students don’t learn the history of their own city or culture. If you want to save your culture, students need to learn about it.”

He noted that he is aware of the many issues that face Chiang Mai but added that they can’t all be tackled at once and that budget constraints always play a role in how much and how quickly things can be achieved.

[chiangmaimail]2011-09-01[/chiangmaimail]

[Theboy]

Well done the CM Mail - good reporting !