Many Bangkok Canals 'Illegally Blocked'

[ldj48]

I can add an example I personally know.

I used to live, many years ago in a guesthouse in a soi off Sukhumvit Road.

There was a small Klong on the opposite side of the road.

Now that location has a new building and is rented out.

Of course they needed parking for the tenets who live there.

So they made the Klong into "parking" for those tenets.

Years ago, when there was some flooding in that area, it rarely flooded there. The water naturally wet into the Klong.

Now there is no Klong, so where does the water from even minor flooding go?

The same place it always did of course, but now the Klong is a parking lot; and the water that still runs downhill no goes from that parking lot into the ground floor of the new apartment building.

They call that "eonomic development" or maybe "progress"

P.S. But, in my personal opinion, I call it "Capitalisim is a house-of-cards, about to collapse".

You're opinion may differ, of course.

I call it the wrong ax to grind, capitalism, but your story I think is correct which just a small but very common picture of the changes brought about by payoff's to be able to build illegal projects that blocked the natural and planned flow of water through and out of Bangkok. This is a classic and magnified picture of what corruption has brought about in Bangkok. In most countries, construction sites are required to display copies of building permits, which I am quite sure are not applied for in many areas in Thailand, just apyoff for officals to look the other way, or not even look. Why do you think there have been riots and killing between the 2 major political parties, they are fighting for the control of the government, from a National Control of govt down to local control. It is the money, the huge amount of money that can be made on the massive amount of money obtained through corruption of elected officals. People do not kill over 14000 Baht a month jobs.

Yes, thai people have to think about there life - and forget just going after easy money! The life is more than big cars, big houses and try to get a life like "stars" It´s about being with the natur, living with people and being a part of the city where you are.....look now in Bangkok ......someone haved maked the problem (just because money) for all the others! Shame on you!! Hope you will be there yourself..some day!!! ldj48

[NCFC]

Says it all, really. Greed by property developers,shortsightedness and sheer incompetence by the BMA with a nice dose of coruption thrown in to give it that true Bangkok flavour.

But then, it's so much easier to blame Thaksin for everything, isn't it?

<< Suvarnabhumi Airport and several roads are also allegedly blocking waterways and water catchment areas.>>

Ah, um, whose administration was in charge when that airport was built?

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if that housing development was done then, too. They don't exactly go up overnight...

The decision to build an airport at Suvarnabhumi was first mooted forty years ago and land purchaes for the site began twenty-five years ago.

[bigbamboo]

What a fine time to be inspecting canals! Ooofda. Any responsible government agency would be inspecting them regularly, and I'd think would have gone into action mode and actually done something about problem spots several months ago, if not several weeks ago. Well, if I am at all surprised, I suppose it's just that I haven't been in Thailand long enough.

Thais have many qualities but foresight isn't one of them. They rely on fortune tellers for that.

[Payboy]

Wonder why this never happens during construction...

Close inspection has uncovered that many structures have been built illegally

How close do you have to get to spot an illegal apartment block?

Everytime there's an "inspection", it's really quite easy to hide an apartment block behind a 500 Baht note

[Ned]

The chain has been pulled. The grogan is already on its way to North Bondi.

[slapout]

The government way of handling problems/placing blame is to point at the symptoms which they themselves have overlooked/ignored for years. The powers that be, will point fingers at past governments (they and their family were a part of)natural disaster (floods are a yearly event in this part of the world), need more cooperation (you and your fathers/family created the system), need assistance from other countries (you and your family stole enough to build a complete water system in the past 1 to 2 decades.

It is kind of like the old Texmex joke from years ago, when the cowboy/cook, pressed for why the cattle escaped and the fence was not repaired. "not my job Senior, I was cooking"

[RichardSmith99999]

I'm say to say that something of a similar nature has happened to Lamai., There was a stream which ran across Lamai and during the floods in '99 or 2000 it turned into a full blown river. Since then it has just been built on. During the heavy rain in March this year the water came back and took all the houses out to sea. There WAS also a huge are of marshland in the centre of Lamai which would go bone dry during the high season so if there was a flash flood it would act as a huge sponge. Its slowly been encroached upon during the last ten years or so and is half the size. To the credit of the local powers that be, there has been quite a number of tanker like truckes clearing the drains around the island for the last month or so. I asked one of the chaps doing it if they had found any bodies. He laughed and said no, mostly household rubbish, masses of sand, plenty of dead dogs, couple of bicycles and one motorbike.

[annabel]

Says it all, really. Greed by property developers,shortsightedness and sheer incompetence by the BMA with a nice dose of coruption thrown in to give it that true Bangkok flavour.

But then, it's so much easier to blame Thaksin for everything, isn't it?

<< Suvarnabhumi Airport and several roads are also allegedly blocking waterways and water catchment areas.>>

Ah, um, whose administration was in charge when that airport was built?

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if that housing development was done then, too. They don't exactly go up overnight...

Certainly you don't mean the same PM who envisioned a new city called Nakhon Suvarnabhumi, designed for the elite. Not the same PM who didn't give much thought about flooding, but cared more about the amount of money that could have been made. Time has finally shown that this PM did more harm than good.

And is this the same PM who has been strangely enough totally silent for the past 2 months or so other than trying to put his name on a few reliefe poor people bags ..... /??? .. and who said just some weeks ago... I' ve past my time in politics and do not want to be involved anymore... let her run everything on her own ..she is capable !! And has since then been nothing but a ghost.... What a let down for her ...! Poor thing! no wonder she is sooo depressed .... And where has his altruistic desire to support and save his people, the poor ones that is, gone...?? Where are his millions of Baht gone?? Why is he not NOW offering to help the poor people as he did so many times before ... Pffff!!!!

[DeepInTheForest]

P.S. But, in my personal opinion, I call it "Capitalisim is a house-of-cards, about to collapse".

You're opinion may differ, of course.

People illegally building in klongs or people bribing officials to get access to do this is the opposite of capitalism.

Of course illegalities and bribery are the opposite of capitalism. Just ask those bulwarks of capitalism--Goldman Sachs!!

[TAWP]

P.S. But, in my personal opinion, I call it "Capitalisim is a house-of-cards, about to collapse".

You're opinion may differ, of course.

People illegally building in klongs or people bribing officials to get access to do this is the opposite of capitalism.

Of course illegalities and bribery are the opposite of capitalism. Just ask those bulwarks of capitalism--Goldman Sachs!!

You seem to have as much understanding of capitalism as Michal Moore.

[Tokay]

The ultimatum was issued on Oct. 18, meaning as of today, Oct. 28, there is only 5 days remaining in the grace period. Chawalit Saeng-Uthai said the 14 transgressors face “extreme legal action” should they fail to comply.

yea, right. they can't even handle jet skis in pattaya.

[KKK]

Why is this a surprise. Blocked canals, blocked everything.

Just try to walk down any pavement and you'll find your better off in the road, small restaurants take over the pavements for their customers.

Its the Thai way. "So long as its making me money why should I give a toss".

Unfortunately what you say is true....and it is not blocking JUST in order to make money...my neighbours park and block my entrance cause they won't walk 50 metres down the street where they can park without blocking ... public footpath in front of houses turned into flower gardens making electric and water meter reading extremly difficult....oh it looks so pretty but what damage is the roots of all those plants and trees making to the water main and boundry wall foundations?

As long as its ME ME ME ...selfish idiots.....

[Sturbuc]

"The ministry's permanent secretary, Suphoj Towichukchaikul, said the inspection had been conducted before floods had arrived at key watergates south of Bangkok, and officials had discovered that stoplogs designed to control the flow of water had been used on several canals and that many were overgrown with weeds."

Proper maintenance in a timely manner Thai style

Well, maybe they'll also keep an eye on chaweng Beach where many Channels were blocked too...