The Flood Situation In Thailand

What is being done to remove the huge dam called Bangkok? How will they get back all the canals that were filled in and covered over for new building sites? Bangkok is indeed sinking and that means that huge pumps must be installed to pump the water into the sea. The existing canals must be dredged and cleaned and since the water level in some canals will be below sea level, the water must be pumped out.

The flood problem in Chao Phraya Delta including Bangkok has become very complex over the last decades due to human factors such as urbanization, land use, and irrigation systems. The main problem is the insufficient dainage capacity of rivers and remaining klongs in the delta. In any year with heavy disharge volumes from the North the result is flooding. If it is during the spring tide, the flooding becomes more serious as the drainage system cannot work fast enough.

Thus the drainage capacity in the delta must be increased. This is best done by diverting some of the flood volumes from the North through diversion channel(s) east and/or west of Bangkok. Already in 1999 JICA (Japan) proposed such a large diversion channel east of Bangkok from Ayuttaya to the sea (the "Chao Phraya 2"), but is was never implemented. Now, after the great flood 2011, the diversion idea is on the table again because it is the only available long term solution for Bangkok.