Flood Nears Inner Bangkok

[webfact]

Deluge nears inner Bangkok

The Nation

Governor keeps a brave face as more zones, roads swamped in capital

Flood water is now closing in on Bangkok’s inner zone, the mostprotected area, since about 16,000 million cubic metres of water started ravaging the Chao Phraya basin a few months ago.

Flooding has showed no signs of easing in the capital, after swamping many of Bangkok's districts and submerging dozens of roads.

t press time, runoff water from the upper part of the country had already submerged the Lat Phrao intersection, forcing the closure of the CentralPlaza shopping complex in Lat Phrao. Four subdistricts in Bangkok's Chatuchak district have already been declared "evacuation zones".

"We are closely monitoring the situation," Sukhumbhand said yesterday.

Asked whether flood water was about to swamp the heart of the capital, the city governor said, "It depends on whether more water will be entering Bangkok."

Authorities are now putting up a row of giant sandbags in southern Pathum Thani so as to reduce the volume of runoff water flowing into the capital. If the runoff is not too high, the capital's waterdrainage system would have a chance of defending the inner zone from flooding.

Sukhumbhand said concerned agencies were now assessing the situation on a daily basis.

"If there's no water coming in, the flood water from Bangkok's inundated districts will subside in one month," he said.

He admitted that the floodwater level, as of press time yesterday, was rising:

nIn Bang Khen district, the water level rose by between 20 and 50 centimetres;

nIn Chatuchak district, the water level increased by 20 centimetres;

nIn Lak Si district, the water level rose by between 30 and 120 centimetres, and a crocodile was sighted;

nIn Klong Sam Wa district, the water level jumped by between 60 and 90 centimetres;

nIn Min Buri district, the water level rose by 60 and 90 centimetres.

nIn Lat Phrao district, the water level in Lat Phrao Canal went up by five centimetres and more road areas were submerged.

Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited, which runs the capital's subway system, has closed some of the entrances/exits at some of its affected stations. The number of passengers to the affected stations such as Phaholyothin Station has also dropped.

Surging flood waters had forced the government Flood Relief Operations Centre to abandon its base at Don Mueang Airport on October 29 and move into the Energy Complex on the same road. However, water levels have been going up in front of the Energy Complex, too.

Transport Company Limited, which has operated interprovincial bus services, is now preparing a plan to evacuate all buses from the Morchit 2 Bus Terminal within one hour if flood water reaches its compound.

The terminal is located on Kamphaeng Phet Road in Chatuchak district.

"We have seen water brimming out of sewerage drains," the company's managing director, Wuttichart Kalayanamit, said.

He said his company might relocate the fleet of buses to Pratunam Tha PhraIn in Pathum Thani, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, or a location in Chon Buri and operate the services from there.

The raging flood in the capital is the worst in decades.

In Bangkok's eastern zone, runoff water from the upper part of the country has already reached the Fashion Island shopping complex in Khan Na Yao district.

"Fashion Island will suspend its service from Saturday [today]," its promotion manager Samaporn Kamchai announced yesterday.

He said the interior of the shopping complex remained dry but the closure was announced because flood water would make it hard for shoppers and staff members to reach the mall.

In western Bangkok, flood water is heading towards Siam University and the Tha Phra intersection.

-- The Nation 2011-11-05

[LuckyLew]

IMO - It is only a matter of time before all of Bangkok gets flooded

No one in charge has a clue how to stop it or how to redirect the water

[Buchholz]

IMO - It is only a matter of time before all of Bangkok gets flooded

No one in charge has a clue how to stop it or how to redirect the water

You very well may be correct, particularly in light of the growing amount of water, which has gone from:

Flood water is now closing in on Bangkok’s inner zone, the most protected area, since about 16,000 million cubic metres of water started ravaging the Chao Phraya basin a few months ago.

to:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has indicated there is still about 20 billion cubic meter of floodwater flowing down from the upper part of the country.

http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/tan/ViewData.aspx?DataID=1049315

[toenail]

As a farang when I saw how upper Thailand was being seriously flooded , images of the water coming to Bangkok never entered my mind. But those "old timers" (Thais) and experts should have known this massive "lake" would have to flow out of the basin. It seems nothing was said until it was at Bangkok's back door.

[moe666]

In the end its just one hell of a lot of water and Bangkok is in the way

[pjhjr]

I don't think it's understood, even by the "experts", how much water is in the north and coming through and around Bangkok-- 20 billion cubic meters? That alone is enough for 2 or 3 major dams.... Look at the sattelite images- the North has the look of an ocean on land. The water is still going to be around when next year's monsoon comes, and if it's as bad as this year? The water will never drain - The central plain of Thailand could now be considered the central bay of Thailand....

[mijan24]

IMO - It is only a matter of time before all of Bangkok gets flooded

No one in charge has a clue how to stop it or how to redirect the water

You are probably correct so why not offer them some advice or are you the same as those in charge? Not A clue on What to Do.

[canuckamuck]

It's about time they started a marketing strategy to capitalize on the Bangkok sea.

But they are going to need a few thousand gondolas to do it right.

[smedly]

is the water actually going anywhere or has this whole area just become and extention of the Gulf of Thailand ???

[khaan]

is the water actually going anywhere or has this whole area just become and extention of the Gulf of Thailand ???

I had a chill up my spine a couple of weeks ago when I wondered the very same question?

What if this is the new " normal " ?

[robanywhere]

In the end its just one hell of a lot of water and Bangkok is in the way

nature will always win... and you can't change the law of gravity...

even technologically sophisticated and relatively wealthy countries can't control nature... just look at the Mississippi flooding earlier this year and the Aussie floods...

[wintermute]

is the water actually going anywhere or has this whole area just become and extention of the Gulf of Thailand ???

I had a chill up my spine a couple of weeks ago when I wondered the very same question?

What if this is the new " normal " ?

With global warming and changing environmental concerns within Thailand it could very well be the start of a new "normal." If so Bangkok is pretty screwed. The fact that a fifth of the city can be inundated in a couple week's time despite reassurances means they are in deep denial.

[Skorz]

IMO - It is only a matter of time before all of Bangkok gets flooded

No one in charge has a clue how to stop it or how to redirect the water

You are probably correct so why not offer them some advice or are you the same as those in charge? Not A clue on What to Do.

Why don't you offer some advice seeing as you're the obvious expert on this subject .

All the guy was saying was that a flood is inevitable in central Bangkok, and I don't see any rules on this forum that state that you must follow a statement with advice. Especially as bad or misinformed advice on this particular subject could cause loss of life.

[elcent]

As a farang when I saw how upper Thailand was being seriously flooded , images of the water coming to Bangkok never entered my mind. But those "old timers" (Thais) and experts should have known this massive "lake" would have to flow out of the basin. It seems nothing was said until it was at Bangkok's back door.

Many knew that this would be coming and rang alarm bells, but nobody listened. they were busy with strategic placement of political staff. Sad but true.

[whatsupdoc]

In the end its just one hell of a lot of water and Bangkok is in the way

nature will always win... and you can't change the law of gravity...

even technologically sophisticated and relatively wealthy countries can't control nature... just look at the Mississippi flooding earlier this year and the Aussie floods...

The Dutch did a pretty good job and that for hundreds of years already.....

[bushwacker]

Well my house in Nakhon Sawan had water flood to the height of 2.5 meters. And it stayed for 3 weeks. No electric for 16 days. No toilets for 20 days. Not fun!!

The river here swelled about about 5 meters upwards and about 20 meters sideways before spilling over and making a huge lake. The river now has dropped by about 1.5 meters and one side of the lake has disappeared. Bottom line is there is still a ton of water coming to BKK.

Good luck!:jap:

[blazes]

If Venice, why not Bangkok?

[RichardinBKK]

In the end its just one hell of a lot of water and Bangkok is in the way

nature will always win... and you can't change the law of gravity...

even technologically sophisticated and relatively wealthy countries can't control nature... just look at the Mississippi flooding earlier this year and the Aussie floods...

The Dutch did a pretty good job and that for hundreds of years already.....

The point has been made pretty well elsewhere - The Netherlands doesn't face the same type of water problems as Thailand.

The Netherlands was largely built on reclaimed, flat, slightly below sea-level lands. The North Sea is relatively constant in its height - once a system was in place to dry out the lands, they

just needed to maintain it.

Thailand, on the other hand, faces heavy monsoon rains, causing flash floods - the level of rains is variable (its not like Bangkok floods every year...this year saw unussually high flooding).

Trust me - if the North Sea surged 2.5 meters in a matter of months, you would rue the day you were born Dutch...

You point is well made. These occasional reference to the Dutch pushing back the sea and living behind levies has not relationship to the issue in Thailand. One of the major differences is a close look at the final goal. The Dutch have no use for the water...period..end of story. Thailand, as one of the top producing rice centers in the world has an interest in walking the tightrope of hoarding water during monsoons to irrigate the fields year long, hope they guess correctly, and pray they will not find themselves with more than they can manage. (Look out the window) It is easy to second guess now, point the finger and ridicule, but we all know what would happen if they had drained the dams, and later faced a drought. It is really a formula where 66% of the time...you are bound to get it wrong.

These are confusing times, and I honestly am in no position to second guess a culture who have centuries of experience as a tropical water based society (see "house on stilts")

There is so much grief and uncertainty now, and it may be the tip of the iceberg, when there is a scarcity of food, water and shelter it may become a sad situation indeed.. I personally do not know what to do, and can not afford to just fly off to vacations land and come home someday. I do wish there were more up to date information available so I could make a more measured decision about the next step.

I do know that the name calling, side bar debates, silly jokes and conspiracy theories are a lot like the flood waters themselves. As we wade though the information on the web, searching for help and answers, we need to avoid the crap floating around in it. I used to get mad about it, and now see that each of us has their own way of dealing with problems, and yes, some need to vent on the forum. I do wish you all the best possible luck, and a safe return to a happy life here...or wherever you land.

[drdoom6996]

Asked whether flood water was about to swamp the heart of the capital, the city governor said, "It depends on whether more water will be entering Bangkok."

What an expressively stupid statement. Please, don't say :I don't know", you WILL lose face.

[metisdead]

A post with reference to HM the King has been removed. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family.

[animatic]

As a farang when I saw how upper Thailand was being seriously flooded , images of the water coming to Bangkok never entered my mind. But those "old timers" (Thais) and experts should have known this massive "lake" would have to flow out of the basin. It seems nothing was said until it was at Bangkok's back door.

Many knew that this would be coming and rang alarm bells, but nobody listened. they were busy with strategic placement of political staff. Sad but true.

Yes, it was so myopic... And look at the staff they placed.

Utterly incompetent in so many case.

[Abduljabbar01]

Cannot stop Mother Nature at this point. She's has always been in control. Even now!!

Water flows towards the sea, not up into the mountains.

Hopefully, Thai government officials and experts not only from Thailand can come together to assist Thailand with this major issue.

[HOOD Robin]

IMO - It is only a matter of time before all of Bangkok gets flooded

No one in charge has a clue how to stop it or how to redirect the water

You are probably correct so why not offer them some advice or are you the same as those in charge? Not A clue on What to Do.

@ Mijan: cha cha... why you get upset? Not everybody is pretending to be an expert like those..... experts! Not one of them is capable to do something as it's too late. This is the tragedy with Thailand... they always START THINKING WHEN IT'S TOO LATE !! Unfortunately a bunch of idiots never can be teached.

[StreetCowboy]

If Venice, why not Bangkok?

Why stop at Venice?

Bangkok - the Atlantis of the East

SC

In my home town, we still have markers of the last great flood, which came to the door lintels in the high street, I believe, back in 1948. But since we live in a fairly well-drained area, the water didn't stay long.

I suppose that gave them the incentive to put in place the flood control measures that have served us well to this day.

Edited November 5, 2011 by StreetCowboy

[sparebox2]

bangkok floating market tour. Just step outside your hotel.

No need the long drive to Ratchaburi anymore. Save your 1,000 Baht package tour.

[koosdeboer]

bangkok floating market tour. Just step outside your hotel.

No need the long drive to Ratchaburi anymore. Save your 1,000 Baht package tour.

Right, the new name of Bangkok;

Krungthep Mahanakorn talaat naam

[hedonist44]

As a farang when I saw how upper Thailand was being seriously flooded , images of the water coming to Bangkok never entered my mind. But those "old timers" (Thais) and experts should have known this massive "lake" would have to flow out of the basin. It seems nothing was said until it was at Bangkok's back door.

Well, Good morning Sunshine! Did we just wake up?

[tcris52]

On the positive side:

1. Traffic is very light.

2. Air pollution is minimal; probably the least in decades.

[TomJoad]

My Prediction: In 6 months the flood will be forgotten. In one year, nothing will have changed.

[Buchholz]

My Prediction: In 6 months the flood will be forgotten. In one year, nothing will have changed.

The only change will be the 800 Billion Baht of Yingluck's The New Thailand Project will be gone.

.