Seven Bangkok Districts At Risk Of Flooding

[webfact]

Seven Bangkok districts at risk of flooding

The Nation

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra Wednesday warned residents of seven districts to prepare themselves for possible flooding and monitor announcements by the city administration.

Sukhumbhand said Sai Mai, Bang Khen, Klong Samwa, Nong Chok, Min Buri and Lat Krabang could be flooded after the Klong Song, Klong Si, Klong Ha and Klong Hok sluice gates were opened to let upstream water into the Rangsit Canal.

Sukhumbhand said Rangsit Canal could hold only 400 million cubic metres of water but the four subcanals in Pathum Thani were expected to dump 1.2 billion cubic metres of water into Rangsit Canal.

"So, we need to tell the people to get prepared," Sukhumbhand said.

Sukhumband said the residents of the districts should not panic but should move their items and power plugs to high ground.

He said the city administration would evaluate the situation in 24 hours and would issue statements every three hours until the situation eases.

He said the city administration has also drafted a evacuation plan, which could be enforced immediately if needed.

The governor admitted that it was difficult to predict the situation for the seven districts but the special flood alleviation centre of the city administration would evaluate the situation.

He said the city administration had prepared 156 evacuation centres and the people could find out about the centres by dialling 1556.

-- The Nation 2011-10-19

[webfact]

Announcement of Warning on Flooding Situation in Bangkok (19/10/2011)

Since there have been some complications upon the operation of the dykes at Khlong 3, Khlong 4, Khlong 5 and Khlong 6 of Pathumthani Province imposing further extents of the problems as the volume of over flowing floods from the above Khlongs would combine with the mass volume of the flood from the northern parts of Bangkok resulting the total volume of more than 1,200 million cubic meters. The massive volume of the flood would over flow into the Rangsit Plain affecting the dykes protecting the City of Bangkok and, consequently, the following districts could be inundated:

1. Sai Mai District

2. Khlong Sam Wa District

3. Bang Khen District

4. Nong Chok District

5. Min Buri District

6. Lad Kra Bang District

7. Kan Na Yao District

Hence, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) informs the above situation of the flood and requests the general public to follow the situation very closely, remain calm and prepare the relocation of belongings including replacing electrical outlets to a higher level. BMA will report the development of the situation and issue announcement every three hours so the public could be instructed and prepare appropriate measures accordingly.

BMA would like the general public to be assured that the administration will perform our tasks with the utmost accountability. Furthermore, the administration has already devised the evacuation and mitigation plan for the public which could be further consulted at www.bangkok.go.th and the offices of the above districts or at the Center of the Protection and Flood Relief Operation, BMA tel. no. 1555

M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra

Governor of Bangkok

Dated October 19, 2011

Source: http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_around_thailand.php?id=5924

-- thailand.prd.go.th 2011-10-19

[webfact]

BKK governor issues 2nd warning for communities around Hok Wa Canal to evacuate to Saimai or Rittiyawannalai 2 schools /TAN_Network

[serenitynow]

Wow! What a stark contrast in management and communication styles.

[Thai at Heart]

The truly sad thing is that all of these figures, statistics and measurements have been known to a great degree of accuracy for months. They knew how much water fell out of the sky, how much the flow rates were in the rivers, how much was in the resevoirs, and how much the dykes could hold back and the klongs safely transport to the sea.

To have kept the people largely in the dark until a day or two before suggests to me to be absolutely gross negligence. I don't care which party any of them are from because the Bangkok and national governments are on on differing sides of the coin and yet, the secrecy about what they know will happen is extremely patronising.

[webfact]

Bangkok governor orders first evacuation for northern Bangkok

BANGKOK, Oct 19 - Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has ordered the evacuation of 200 households along the Hok Wa canal outside the capital’s flood prevention dyke to two schools provided as temporary shelters.

Sai Mai and Rittiya Wannalai schools can accommodate about 1,000 persons and the evacuation should be done within 24 hours, he said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA, Bangkok’s City Hall) is reinforcing and elevating the dyke along the Hok Wa canal to a height of 3.50 metres from the existing 2.50 metres.

The evacuation alert is the second statement from the Bangkok governor Wednesday after he earlier today warned Bangkok residents in seven flood-prone districts to be on heightened alert and move their belongings to upper floors, unplug electrical appliances and to study the BMA’s evacuation plan in case of emergency.

The City Hall warning came after many parts of dykes at the Raphiphat canal in Pathum Thani have been breached since Tuesday, causing water to overflow into the Rangsit canal, posing flood threat to northern and eastern districts of the capital.

The BMA was informed by the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) that a massive stream of 1.2 billion cubic metres of northern run-off water is estimated to pass Rangsit plain which can absorb about 400 million cubic metres of water.

The remaining 800 million cubic metres of water could impact dykes in eastern Bangkok and may overflow into vulnerable areas in seven districts.

The seven districts include Sai Mai, Klongsamwa, Bang Khen, Nong Chok, Min Buri, Lat Krabang, and Kannayao. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-10-19

[bkkjames]

Kao San under water I hear on Thai News

(trying to find a link that loads properly - one sec)

http://www.manager.co.th/Home/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9540000133312

Try that- it works in safari not sure about other browsers

Edited October 19, 2011 by bkkjames

[webfact]

UPDATED 19 October: Maps of Flood Risk Areas in Bangkok: http://bit.ly/qlId0X /via@RichardBarrow

[bkkjames]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

[webfact]

Height of tides in Bangkok: 4:58pm - 3.18 meters & 8:19pm - 3.40 meters (height above lowest low water) /via @RichardBarrow

[ShopBoy]

anyone knows any place to listen 100.5fm online ?

[robblok]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

There are still some dry parts, where i am its dry. But i dont know how long.

Edited October 19, 2011 by robblok

[siampolee]

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra seems to be the only person with something like a plan and a team working to do all they can for the people they represent unlike the puppet Prime minister and her bunch of buffoons

[bkkjames]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

There are still some dry parts, where i am its dry. But i dont know how long.

Thanks Rob, please call BK Post and tell them

[verywierd]

anyone knows any place to listen 100.5fm online ?

http://tunein.com/radio/FM-1005-s7210/

[TomJoad]

I'm not complaining but the canal near Mall Bangkapi where I am is actually lower than it has been in a couple weeks (but no boats running). Is it because they are planning on using it as a place to dump any possible overflow from Minburi? Like I said, I'm not complaining or anything.

[robblok]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

There are still some dry parts, where i am its dry. But i dont know how long.

Thanks Rob, please call BK Post and tell them

I already accepted that im going to be flooded between now and a few days. I doubt it will hold here. So they are just fast with reporting the news.

[Thai at Heart]

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra seems to be the only person with something like a plan and a team working to do all they can for the people they represent unlike the puppet Prime minister and her bunch of buffoons

He is realistically the only guy with the absolute power to command a workforce.

I have to laugh to see that Mrs. Bird Flu cover up is having a say about potentially flooding Victory monument. I am sick to the back teeth of hearing from 'elected officials' who have absolutely no academic or practical knowledge of anything. Photo ops and walkabouts with wellies are all very heartening, but where is the irrigation department, where is the marine department, where is the agricultural department?

The people who actually know what can and cannot be done are silent, meanwhile, someone pipes up that the water should go out through Chachoengsao? It is too late, everyone has been navel gazing taking care of their little feifdoms (this is on a national and a local level) and now it is all coming home to roost. I can't imagine how many people knew that this was going to happen, but through incompetence and ommission, no one got the message across to the top that this was dam_n serious. The entire system is to blame, government officials without enough knowledge drowning out the voices of the knowledgeable, whilst the elected corrupt at the top wring their hands and say that we couldn't have known it was raining that much.

The blind leading the deaf and dumb.

[Pib]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

Incorrect...and hopefully it will stay that way. While many parts are flooded; many parts are not. Around 4pm I drove through the portion of Nonthaburi which the #9 Outer Ring Road runs through and it looks the same as yesterday. And I live in Khet Talingchan directly south of Nonthaburi and which borders Nonthaburi and practically nothing in Talingchan is flooded...sure we (Khet Talingchan) have some low spots in roads where some water has pooled like most everywhere else, but no widespread flooding....and that is confirmed by the govt flood map identified below.

Here's a link to the government's flood website which includes maps of the flooded areas in Thailand....you can zoom in and out just like using Google Earth....be sure to let the map loaded 100% as the blue color coding for the flooded areas only appears in the last few percent of the map load. Link Other areas/links of the govt web site also identifies roads locations which have some flooding like two low spots on the portion of #9 I just drove through...low spots flooded with a few inches of water for several hundred meters...enough to slow traffic to a near crawl for a kilometer or so.

[RayHaas]

Kao San under water I hear on Thai News

(trying to find a link that loads properly - one sec)

http://www.manager.c...D=9540000133312

Try that- it works in safari not sure about other browsers

Its not flooded...

Its water that gets out daily during high tide. The reason they keep the canals dry is so that that water can get away

[ShopBoy]

anyone knows any place to listen 100.5fm online ?

http://tunein.com/radio/FM-1005-s7210/

Thanks

[bkkjames]

Bk post reported about nonthaburi...

Meanwhile down here live at the taksin pier, river is higher and faster than I have seen it over the last few weeks.

[alexakap]

river is higher and faster than I have seen it over the last few weeks.

Don't tell us that you're surprised...

[bkkjames]

No not surprised, but big change from yesterday.

[tommyyoung]

The truly sad thing is that all of these figures, statistics and measurements have been known to a great degree of accuracy for months. They knew how much water fell out of the sky, how much the flow rates were in the rivers, how much was in the resevoirs, and how much the dykes could hold back and the klongs safely transport to the sea.

To have kept the people largely in the dark until a day or two before suggests to me to be absolutely gross negligence. I don't care which party any of them are from because the Bangkok and national governments are on on differing sides of the coin and yet, the secrecy about what they know will happen is extremely patronising.

Nobody could have expected for example Bangkok had 2200mm of accumulated rain or Uttaradit had 2100mm, Royal Thai Meteorology often fails the forecast for the next day and almost always for the following week, you are out of reality if you say THEY (who ?) knew months in advance how much water was gonna fall from the sky. That's impossible.

The ENSO negative was surely an important factor to take into account for a surplus of rain, but again , there are stations few miles away which have NEGATIVE accumulation compared to their average, like Bangkok Pilot, Ratcha Buri and even a couple of stations in the north.

It has rained more exactly in the strategic areas near the Chao Phraya , while it has rained less even 20-30 kilometers away, that's impossible to predict months before and even with 48-72 hours before

It's a unfortunate combination of factors.

This doesn t mean you are right abut prevention, in fact an expensive project which would have saved all this central area including Bangkok province was cancelled after the 2006 military coup by the army because it was though "too expensive". The cost in economy and human losses have already exceeded several times the cost of that project of dams.

[2unique]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

Incorrect...and hopefully it will stay that way. While many parts are flooded; many parts are not. Around 4pm I drove through the portion of Nonthaburi which the #9 Outer Ring Road runs through and it looks the same as yesterday. And I live in Khet Talingchan directly south of Nonthaburi and which borders Nonthaburi and practically nothing in Talingchan is flooded...sure we (Khet Talingchan) have some low spots in roads where some water has pooled like most everywhere else, but no widespread flooding....and that is confirmed by the govt flood map identified below.

Here's a link to the government's flood website which includes maps of the flooded areas in Thailand....you can zoom in and out just like using Google Earth....be sure to let the map loaded 100% as the blue color coding for the flooded areas only appears in the last few percent of the map load. Link Other areas/links of the govt web site also identifies roads locations which have some flooding like two low spots on the portion of #9 I just drove through...low spots flooded with a few inches of water for several hundred meters...enough to slow traffic to a near crawl for a kilometer or so.

I'm between Bhuddamonthon Sai 2 and 3 on the Salathmasop side near the railway - i hear from Sai 4 outwards has flooded but as yet the roads here are ok down to Kanchanapisek and beyond. Reading yesterday's news suggested a metre of water could come down from the north and over the top of the concrete embankment which usually stands 2.5 metres above water level but now the water is at 1.90 ... its a bit hard to get any information on this part of TaweeWattana

[Just1Voice]

Sukhumbhand said Rangsit Canal could hold only 400 million cubic metres of water but the four subcanals in Pathum Thani were expected to dump 1.2 billion cubic metres of water into Rangsit Canal.

Humm, Rangsit, which is already full, holds a max of 400 million cm, but it's going to get 1.2 BILLION cm, which is 3 times more than it's capacity, released to it.

Can you say: "Oops!"

[culicine]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

There are still some dry parts, where i am its dry. But i dont know how long.

A lot of water is coming down. We were fine till last nite - I'm on Chaiyaprek road - the main road turned into almost a river overnight; we got out of there today.My village got flooded; apparently the water i about 10 cm above floor level (and the floor is at 3m). Hopefully it wont get any higher than that.Good luck; if you can stay dry it'll be somewhat a miracle. Its only took a few hrs to get flooded, so it comes quickly.

[zydeco]

Nonthaburi entirely flooded (apparently)

According to the Thais in the office Pinklao next up - take that for what it's worth (certainly not a confirmation on my part).

Incorrect...and hopefully it will stay that way. While many parts are flooded; many parts are not. Around 4pm I drove through the portion of Nonthaburi which the #9 Outer Ring Road runs through and it looks the same as yesterday. And I live in Khet Talingchan directly south of Nonthaburi and which borders Nonthaburi and practically nothing in Talingchan is flooded...sure we (Khet Talingchan) have some low spots in roads where some water has pooled like most everywhere else, but no widespread flooding....and that is confirmed by the govt flood map identified below.

Here's a link to the government's flood website which includes maps of the flooded areas in Thailand....you can zoom in and out just like using Google Earth....be sure to let the map loaded 100% as the blue color coding for the flooded areas only appears in the last few percent of the map load. Link Other areas/links of the govt web site also identifies roads locations which have some flooding like two low spots on the portion of #9 I just drove through...low spots flooded with a few inches of water for several hundred meters...enough to slow traffic to a near crawl for a kilometer or so.

I'm between Bhuddamonthon Sai 2 and 3 on the Salathmasop side near the railway - i hear from Sai 4 outwards has flooded but as yet the roads here are ok down to Kanchanapisek and beyond. Reading yesterday's news suggested a metre of water could come down from the north and over the top of the concrete embankment which usually stands 2.5 metres above water level but now the water is at 1.90 ... its a bit hard to get any information on this part of TaweeWattana

The flooding is over in Salaya, I think.

[wintermute]

Here's a link to the government's flood website which includes maps of the flooded areas in Thailand....you can zoom in and out just like using Google Earth....be sure to let the map loaded 100% as the blue color coding for the flooded areas only appears in the last few percent of the map load. Link Other areas/links of the govt web site also identifies roads locations which have some flooding like two low spots on the portion of #9 I just drove through...low spots flooded with a few inches of water for several hundred meters...enough to slow traffic to a near crawl for a kilometer or so.

This map really puts things into perspective. It'll be a miracle if inner Bangkok isn't flooded when this is over.