No Megaflood In Thailand This Year: Water Committee Chair

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No megaflood in Thailand this year: Water committee chair

BANGKOK, April 25 - Dr Virabongsa Ramangkura, chairperson of the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF), said on Wednesday he was confident Thailand will not face a repetition of last year's flood crisis, as the government has been on the right track on water management and flood prevention.

He spoke on the direction of the Thai economy on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Thai Television and 35th anniversary of MCOT, Thailand's leading broadcasting company.

Dr Virabongsa said the government has invested more than Bt350 billion to improve flood prevention infrastructure. More flood embankments, canals and flood-related structures have been built, which he said would prevent future floods and the public could rest assured of the matter.

He also added if major floods do happen, neither this government nor himself in his position could last long.

Thailand's worst flood in decades late last year devastated vast areas of the kingdom, especially in the central plains where major industrial estates are located, and left more than 600 people dead.

The estimated financial losses of industrial plants due to the flood crisis reached Bt230 billion, according to the Department of Industrial Works.

"Foreign investors are [now] more confident in investing in Thailand,” he said as evidenced by only Bt350 million of the government's Bt50 billion insurance fund being used. “Such a fund might not be necessary in the future," Dr Virabongsa said.

Apart from flood prevention plans, he said the government must improve and modernise the country's infrastructure such as railways and information technology in order to support expansion of the business sector.

Dr Virabongsa said that after developed countries such as the United States and Europe have faced economic problems in the past 4-5 years, emerging economies such as China, India, Russia and Brazil have shown signs of more investment. If the economies of these nations grow, it will help the Thai economy grow as well.

He said he believed the new economies will have immense trade and investment value in the next 15 years, particularly in Asia and the Southeast Asian region. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-04-25

[Skywalker69]

This year I think drought is going to be a problem.

With even higher price´s on crops, fruits and God knows what else.

[pimay11]

This year I think drought is going to be a problem.

With even higher price´s on crops, fruits and God knows what else.

Have no fear the Pardon Thaksin Party will come to the rescue. I'm suprised they are not using boats to force the water back up the rivers to the drought areas for irrigation.

[Bagwan]

I wonder how much rain and the effects thereof are forecast by the fortune teller in Chiang Mai. He is close to the Shinawatra clique and I harbour thoughts that his prognosis will figure in the reckoning.

[Moruya]

There is no reliabilty in long term forecasting. The technology isn't there.

Nasa doesn't have it. Thailand does?

So this is all hot air once again from the know-nots aiming to appease the Japanese Yen

[AZBill]

Break out the lifeboats!

[whybother]

If there are no mega-floods this year, it will be because there are no mega-rains.

It won't have anything to do with what the government has(n't) done.

[LennyW]

I think the floods that will come this year will have people wishing for last years floods to take the edge off the pain!! These are not singular events......get used to extremes of weather for years to come!!

[heiwa]

No megaflood in Thailand this year: Water committee chair - They must make this an election promise

Edited April 25, 2012 by metisdead
Bold font removed.

[heiwa]

And on a serious note - over 700 dead - some-one should be held culpable and be sitting in jail. Does anyone have a face to lose?

Edited April 25, 2012 by heiwa

[trainman34014]

Personally I don't think there will be bad floods this year because we just haven't had anything like the rain in the North that we had already had by this time last year. Last year it started raining on March 1st and rained almost every other day in large volumes until October. All that water ran South and became the top up for what had already accumulated there. This year it has barely rained at all yet.

In the final analysis nature will decide the issue and if there are no floods it will certainly not be due to the efforts of the current Government. Of course if there are no floods we all know that they will be congratulating themselves for a magnificent job done !

[GentlemanJim]

He also added if major floods do happen, neither this government nor himself in his position could last long.

See, you can't call them stupid!

350 Billion baht is a LOT of money for dirt ditches and dredging canals! Where exactly is all that money?

[Skywalker69]

No megaflood in Thailand this year: Water committee chair - They must make this an election promise

Or better not.

How has it gone with the other election promises, so far.

[h90]

No Megaflood this year.

a) The flood comes January next year?

It won't be Megaflood, it will be a Gigaflood.

[pipo1000]

Most of the time these people can't make up at lunch time what they gonne eat for dinner,but today they gonne predict what will happen with the weather in 6 months time.

Next..............

[Skywalker69]

No Megaflood this year.

a) The flood comes January next year?

It won't be Megaflood, it will be a Gigaflood.

The Thai Government better buy a lot of bigger boats, with big propellers.

[Ijustwannateach]

If government pronouncements on flood are anything to go by, it's time for me to start stocking up the extra bottled water again.

[h90]

If government pronouncements on flood are anything to go by, it's time for me to start stocking up the extra bottled water again.

Water isn't a problem, also the Democrats and the Army brings you water.

But beer is a big problem.....Sitting alone on your private island and nothing to drink at home......

[h90]

If government pronouncements on flood are anything to go by, it's time for me to start stocking up the extra bottled water again.

Water isn't a problem, also the Democrats and the Army brings you water.

But beer is a big problem.....Sitting alone on your private island and nothing to drink at home......

To add:

Last time, the flood was coming, lot water on the street already, 7/11 open but basically empty, specially no water and no beer......

I took the bacardi breezer Thought that is better than not drinking anything.

No no no....not between 2-5 pm....

That sounds like a joke, or?

[letitbe]

panic now

[FOODLOVER]

Run for your lives!!!

[hellodolly]

Most of the time these people can't make up at lunch time what they gonne eat for dinner,but today they gonne predict what will happen with the weather in 6 months time.

Next..............

Truly the land of miracles.

[Mosha]

And on a serious note - over 700 dead - some-one should be held culpable and be sitting in jail. Does anyone have a face to lose?

You can't send them to prison, if they haven't been before.

[MAN2SIN2BKK]

What flood prevention? The Rangsit canals haven't been dredged as promised; the illegal shacks are still straddling the canals especially on Khlong 2 and the debris from last year's flood is still there

[airconsult]

This year I think drought is going to be a problem.

With even higher price´s on crops, fruits and God knows what else.

Have no fear the Pardon Thaksin Party will come to the rescue. I'm suprised they are not using boats to force the water back up the rivers to the drought areas for irrigation.

Please be careful - criticising that plan may be construed as criticism of someone very important who advised doing that a number of years ago.

When the opposition brought it up and placed it in the press - PT had to adopt it or be accused of ignoring the advice of someone very important.

Cheers

[saengsureeya]

It took the Netherlands approx. 45 years to complete their defense-system (the Delta works) in order to protect the country from high-tide and storm-floods. THEY are considered as THE experts.

Thailand has solved the problem in merely 3 months!

Chapeau............Thai experts will be consulted in due course.

[garrya]

This is more like a speculation. Obviously, some work has been done however long way to go.

I understand that it is difficult to prepare for all kinds of severe weather formations but countries have already shown that careful planning can mitigate damages and loss of lives.

But obviously, the circumstances are totally different between countries such as Thailand and Netherlands.

On most grounds we can`t compare the water defence in Thailand and Netherlands apart from the enemy, called water.

[NanaFoods]

No mega-floods this year?

Whew! That's a relief.

Glad there are special people around who can tell the future

[MaiDong]

He also added if major floods do happen, neither this government nor himself in his position could last long.

See, you can't call them stupid!

350 Billion baht is a LOT of money for dirt ditches and dredging canals! Where exactly is all that money?

That is a HUGE amount of money.

Consider B350 Billion is about £7b or over $11b, is it possible to build new canals for such a huge amount of money? Surely Thailand would be one HUGE canal?? SHOCKING.

[AsianAdvisor]

All we know is that weather patterns have changed - fact.

All we know is that it is it is a neutral year - neither La Nina or El Nino but we are heading towards an El Nino event - fact

Australian Weather Bureau

If you want to see how forecasters get it so wrong, read this article from Bloomberg about the drought from 2010 (headlined using El Nino when it fact it was a La Nina period!!). Then in 2011 we had the mega flood!

The point I am making is that we had a one in a 50 year event last year but, as we all know, weather patterns are changing so the prediction that was made by the gentleman in the article is pure puff.

No one knows for certain. But El Nino is a powerful climate event and we are moving towards another cycle.