Thailand Live Tuesday 18 Oct 2011

[george]

Sandbag wall at Hok Wa Canal could complete in 48 hours: BKK governor

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra on Tuesday said the reinforcement of the sandbag wall at Hok Wa Canal would be finished within the 48 hours set to prevent flood waters from overflowing into Sai Mai and Don Muang districts.

He was speaking in a press conference after visiting the site where the wall was being reinforced this morning.

He warned Bangkok residents on Monday to stay calm and keep monitoring the situation during the next 48 hours during which he would have the existing walls along Sam Wa canal reinforced from half a metre to three metres in height over a six-km stretch.

New three-metre barriers must be built along Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve canals for a 15-km distance.

The governor said two of planned six-km stretch of walls had already been finished and the rest could possibly be finished within 48 hours.

The government already has 800,000 sand sacks for the work, said Sukhumand, who earlier said he needed one million sandbags for the work.

He told reporters if the work at Hok Wa Canal finished in time the works at five canals may not be necessary.

Dismissing the conflicts between his office and the government on the handling of the flood situation, the governor said both have same data and information but they have different interpretations.

He said Bangkok will not suddenly be under water and the floodwater would not abruptly flow into the capital as has happened in other provinces because his office believed in the government's handling of the situation.

"I would like to ask people to listen to me only. I never think that Bangkok is safe. We will closely monitor the situation and be alert," he said.

Some 1,500 people, reportedly from many districts, crowded into a school in Don Muang district, which is used as a packing site for sandbags. Helping to do the work were soldiers, district staff and government officials.

-- The Nation 2011-10-18

[george]

Press conference on NBT Ch 11 now regarding flood situation.

Rajamongkol Thanyaburi needs baby milk, repellent lotion, toilet cleaning liquid for its shelter. Tel 025493339

[george]

FROC Press conference:: Min Buri, Nong Chok and Khlong Samwa are at risks, as water diverted to sea.

Irrigation chief: We had a plan but we couldn't use it because the people wouldn't let us. Now we've got a problem. Cooperate please.

Water is running down. White House village, 8 Rai community, some part of Thammasat Rangsit are under closed watch; no evacuation warning yet:FROC

Dyke between Khlong 5, 6 canals has broken. (FROC)

Most part of BKK is still safe as for now:FROC

BKK Govnr: He received 800,000 sandbags frm govt but some of them were in low quality and couldn't be used #thaifloodeng

FROC: BKK safety rests on cooperation from PM, BKK governor, and others. All should lend help, chiefly on shelters

#thaifloodEng

[george]

FROC: Rapeepat Canal barrier cut off for 120 metres, leading to overflows to Khlong Luang and Rangsit plain. #ThaifloodEng

[george]

Flora Ville (behind Work Point Co.) in Pathum Thani is now flooded. #Ch9

[george]

Pathum Thani Gov: the water level is 1.7 m high. No car can enter but some factories still survive. #ThaifloodEng

[george]

Bkk Gov.assures city residents BMA has time until 9pm Wed to complete all flood walls before water mass heads for N. Bangkok /Nation

Bang Kadi industrial estate Bang Kadi,south of Nava Nakorn,is bracing for incoming floods. /The Nation #ThaiFloodEng

Flood level in Ayuttaya is steady,but new water mass from Chai Nat will reach Ayutthaya in 2-3 days and raise water level 3-5cm.

[george]

Flooding near Bangkok has taken about 25 percent of the world's hard disk manufacturing capacity offline:

Full story: http://www.infoworld.com/t/hard-drives/the-impending-hard-drive-shortage-and-possible-price-hikes-176453

[george]

The Thai flood situation is critical, so why not tell people?

While much of Thailand has suffered from the worst flooding in fifty years, government ministers have been emphatic about one thing: the city of Bangkok and the majority of its 12 million citizens would avoid the floods.

There was a wholesale change in tone this morning however, when the Governor of Bangkok Sukhumbhand Paribatra put out an urgent appeal for 1.2 m sandbags. He said “a huge amount” of water was now threatening the city. More strikingly perhaps, the Thai science minister Virachai Virameteekul said he had ordered the construction of 10,000 bamboo rafts to “help the people”.

We went to the northern suburbs this morning to investigate the situation. We didn’t get far before traffic snarled up, due to water-logged roads. By the time we reached the district Nava Nakorn, about 40 km from the heart of this sprawling metropolis, the severity of flooding was made crystal clear.

Nava Nakorn boasts one of the biggest industrial estates in the country, with 270 plants employing 270,000 employees – many of them live in the area. Today however, this part of the city had simply ground to a halt, its streets and thoroughfares cloaked in a rippling blanket of murky, brown water. We saw thousands of people making for higher ground, dragging all their earthly good possessions on pieces of polystyrene or metal tubs.

“It came up in the night,” said one woman, looking utterly exhausted. “I live on the second floor but it started to flood my rooms. I had to make a run for it – I had no choice.”

The Thai army together with hundreds of volunteers has launched a massive rescue operation in Nava Nakorn, but it risks being overwhelmed by the sheer scale of problem. Tonight, four districts in eastern Bangkok are under a foot and a half of water– an area twice the size of Singapore. If an extensive system of temporary levees are breached – this situation will get much worse.

I spoke to a senior government official. He told me “the situation is critical.” He had seen the data, he said, but said the government didn’t want to release it for fear of “panicking people”. I think many here would rather be forewarned.

Follow John Sparks on Twitter: @C4JohnSparks

[george]

130 bank branches closed by floods http://www.ethailand.com/ri241997/ #ThaiFloodEng /via RT @ethailandcom:

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Thailand Live Wednesday 19 Oct 2011

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