Flood-Proofing Bangkok Could Force Canal Dwellers Out

[webfact]

Flood-proofing Bangkok could force canal dwellers out

By Jonah Fisher

BBC News, Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Nearly three months after the worst of the flooding, life for most of Bangkok's 10 million residents has returned to normal.

The water has drained away and on many buildings only a dirty high-tide mark remains as a reminder of the sodden weeks of late 2011.

The immediate crisis over and thoughts have turned to how the Thai capital can better protect itself in future.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk...acific-16713875

-- BBC 2012-01-26

[alstaxi]

Use the canals for what they were built for,instead of slums, what a concept. Next the side walks will be for people to walk instead of noodle shops and gadget stores, Holy third world corruption batman, what is happening.

[sparebox2]

Even Richard Branson live on a canal.

http://www.londoncanals.co.uk/lvenice/lv01.html

Edited January 26, 2012 by sparebox2

[kawaiimomo]

Use the canals for what they were built for,instead of slums, what a concept. Next the side walks will be for people to walk instead of noodle shops and gadget stores, Holy third world corruption batman, what is happening.

If you don't like the noodle shops in the side walks and those kind of things, why are you living here?

[FOODLOVER]

Use the canals for what they were built for,instead of slums, what a concept. Next the side walks will be for people to walk instead of noodle shops and gadget stores, Holy third world corruption batman, what is happening.

If you don't like the noodle shops in the side walks and those kind of things, why are you living here?

Why are you living here? For the noodle stalls on the sidewalks? For the garbage that these vendors produce and dump on the ground? From the oil that they pour down the storm drains that flow directly into the ocean killing fish and reefs. They are illegal and a blight and should be removed. They should also not be paying the Bib for the rental space that is public property and any fees inured should go towards the public's benefit not just the cops or the illegal noodle vendor. In this way you wouldn't have to spend a few hundred million baht to provide an overhead foot path which is currently being considered. Just clean the shit hole up a bit, wouldn't hurt. Plus there's that water flow benefit.

[FOODLOVER]

Even Richard Branson live on a canal.

http://www.londoncan...enice/lv01.html

So do hemmorhoids and polyps, whats your point?

[ratcatcher]

Even Richard Branson live on a canal.

http://www.londoncan...enice/lv01.html

Sir Richard Branson LIVED on the Grand Union canal in Little Venice, Paddington, before he became very rich and famous, because it was a fashionable and chic area.

However, there's where the comparisons end. In the U.K., canals are a legacy from the 18th &19th centuries where they were used for transportation of goods before the railways came of age. They have since been improved, cleaned up and now provide a large inland waterway system regularly used by tourists and residents.

The klong system of Bangkok was developed over a hundred years ago, for transportation and drainage.

When the roads appeared, the klongs slowly fell into disuse until today they are often nothing more than open sewers and convenient places to dump garbage. In many cases they were paved over and today Suvarnabhumi airport sits on what was once the main water catchment area for the province.

The klong system north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province is badly in need of a major cleanup, dredging and removing large quantities of water hyacinth and squatters slums and helping those poor people to move into more sanitary homes.

I wonder where most of the toilet waste from some of these klong side dwellings ends up?

Until the government takes decisive steps to clean up and improve these klongs, Bangkok and its surrounding provinces remain at risk.

And there's not much chance of a freeze up in hell apparently?