Flood Nears Inner Bangkok

[cowslip]

Bkk is not like a bowl or a boat - you have to pump the water out somewhere.........and unless you have defences it will just come back in.

It is not just a river problem it is also the sea so the place is under attack from both sides

precisely why you build big pump stations located in many different areas, and not just pump it out to sea, you can pump it anywhere you chose to.... thereby making it possible to spread out the water across an even greater area and minimizing the effects

defences are great to slow it down and help deal with the deluge so you can pump it out bit by bit, but concentrate of pumping it out to many different areas.

I don't think you've got a grasp on the amount of water involved here or the area that it has affected or the face that it is sea as well as river.

Where precisely do you think you are going to "pump" all the water?

Bkk as an area will always flood, and the more it is developed the more it will flood so what is needed is a civil engineering project (over several decades) that will protect the city- or large parts of it - this involves Amsterdam like engineering not just a few pumps.

then you end up with the same problem as now pretty much,,, ,bangkok is saved for the most part, and the rest suffer for a prolonged period of time.... how is that a good plan??

im not saying many pumps just in bangkok.. im saying all over the place.. there is many places in thailand which are not affected by water... you can set up a massive network of pipes that will not only hold a lot of water but take it hundreds of km elsewhere and pump it into places not affected, they will barely notice it, and the place that do feel it, will have a lot of relief...

as i said its good to have defences, but you cant just protect one area and say screw you to the rest, and the thai people in those areas wont put up with it either, hence why they try destroying dykes etc

come on get up to speed.

obviously it's not the same thing at all.

Anyway I'm not getting into long explanations here....you should be working this out for yourself.

[nurofiend]

The scale of the disaster is and will continue revealing itself to a group of incompetent politicians and experts, whose only qualification was being born with the right family connections.

The strains that will be placed upon Thai society will, I fear, test it beyond breaking point on all levels. Mediacl, social, political and economic. The propensity for this flood to precipitate unimaginable disorder and chaos is overlooked by micro focusing on the flood's causes and short fix remedies.

In short, this could turn nasty - really, really nasty.

somewhat agreed, and i think the possibility of things turning extremely nasty has been a long(ish) time coming.

i also believe there is incompetence on both sides... and in a non biased, honestly, hand on heart opinion, i truly don't think this crisis would have been handled much better by any Thai political party.

Of course that's completely unprovable and disprovable but it's my genuine view on this.

There is no doubt that yingluck did not cause the floods'

There is no no doubt that nobody could have caused instantly / magically fixed the whole problem.

There is also no doubt that the whole situation could have been better managed.

There is also no doubt that the paymaster surrounded (perhaps should say sacrificed) his ill prepared younger sister (his clone - his own words) with totally incapable / insincere people who could not organize a piss up in a brewery.

And millions of Thais suffer, all for the whims of one very very selfish corrupt man who normally (from afar) has answers (well spun answers)to everything, but now totally quiet.

No doubt after it's all over he will he full of 'after the event' advice. And by the way, where's the big pumps from Korea?

"There is also no doubt that the whole situation could have been better managed."

Indeed but there is a reasonable doubt that the whole situation would have been better managed.

I disagree that everyone in PTP is insincere and incapable, that's not to say they are fantastic and great either.

"And millions of Thais suffer, all for the whims of one very very selfish corrupt man"

I don't believe that's a fair assessment of the floods tbf.

was yingluck ill prepared to be prime minister? yes i agree...she's on a learning curve.

should someone be placed straight in as PM to learn their trade? no, i don't think so

is she doing a terrible job of it so far? no, i don't think so either...she hasn't been superwoman, far from it but she has been coping pretty well imho.

[flyswat]

Thailand needs to stand back and look at the big picture after this flood is over.........The whole problem is the lack of flow capacity around or through Bangkok, when floods occur. The unplanned developments on the flood plain, for what ever reason, have and continue to grow the problem.

I propose a solution worth serious consideration for a long term economic solution. It will be very expensive to institute, however will have a very positive long term result!

What I think is a good solution, Is to construct a deep water shipping canal, capable of substantial sized sea going vessels, be constructed around probably the West side of Bangkok, to at least the large Northern industrial area. ......It would have the cross sectional area and direct flow capacity to handle the huge volume of water if properly designed, and more importantly would allow direct export shipping from Central Thailand, and very considerably reduce heavy traffic in and around Bangkok. The capital would then be much less flood prone, and the whole country would benefit. Cruise ships for example, could be accommodated in the most historic part of the country, and whole new industries would spring up.

[monekyface]

A shipping canal, or a Holland-esque drainage system would require an enormous amount of resources, political will, planning, and work NOW for a benefit that will come long in the future. I doubt Thailand's ability to invest so much in something that doesn't put a lot of money into pockets immediately. OTOH, a public-works project of this magnitude would likely be rife for graft and abuse. There is hope I suppose.

[scotbeve]

A shipping canal, or a Holland-esque drainage system would require an enormous amount of resources, political will, planning, and work NOW for a benefit that will come long in the future. I doubt Thailand's ability to invest so much in something that doesn't put a lot of money into pockets immediately. OTOH, a public-works project of this magnitude would likely be rife for graft and abuse. There is hope I suppose.

Monkey,

I agree, the possibilities of a REAL Venice of the East. Major waterway and canals could be used as industrial estate transport lanes and passenger routes. Massive undertaking indeed. If only a real transparent watchdog could supervise....

[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.

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.

Definition of an expert is "A Drip Under Pressure" I do not believe my post expressed any pressure just the simple everyday belief "if you have a "critism"{Not a clue on what to do] then it is professional etquitte to offer a solution not a forum rule. Now on the other hand "A Drip Under Pressure" will display emotion often anger [] to cover up the lack of ability to express a sensible comment which of course the feinged facade needs to be treated with the contempt it deserves.

With regard to a solution I am sure there are those more qualified than I who can and some have offer solutions IMPORTANTLY no matter how preposterous may they appear (the basis of creative thinking)- often when sorted and sieved solutions appear. As for myself even though we stay in Khon Kaen we also own a house in Nonthaburi - solution spend several bahts to raise the dwelling by at least another metre this time around. :jap:

[scotbeve]

how much would it of cost to build enough pump stations, interconnect all waterways and effectively be able to handle this amount of water to prevent this all happening??

and how much will/has it cost the country when you add up, cleaning up, fixing everything damaged, tourism, etc etc

i would think it would of been cheaper to prevent this then deal with the aftermath

stupidity really amazes me

Bkk is not like a bowl or a boat - you have to pump the water out somewhere.........and unless you have defences it will just come back in.

It is not just a river problem it is also the sea so the place is under attack from both sides

3 large canals / waterways, much like an inverted fork, on each side of the Ch. Paya River leading to the Gulf of Thailand could most likely be the best defense. These canals could also have highways / train tracks on each side (acting as ring roads). The canals could act as major transport lanes. Massive project that should have been started 69 years ago after the 42' flood (the largest flood in recorded history).