Cctvs Installed At Major Dams To Keep Bangkok Updated With Water Situation

[Lite Beer]

CCTVs installed at major dams to keep Bangkok updated with water situation

BANGKOK, 2 September 2012 (NNT) – The government has installed CCTV cameras at major dams and important spots along the country’s main rivers, which help send images directly to the central water data center located in Bangkok.

This was disclosed by Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan who said that the CCTVs have saved time of officials in travelling to regional dams to observe the water situation. The move enables the officials in Bangkok to learn of the water levels at various dams and rivers and work out immediate solutions before problems develop.

He said that the government has already explained its flood prevention plans to investors and members of diplomatic corps, to restore their confidence in investing in Thailand. The Minister also referred to the currently-held Water Management for the People Exhibition at Convention Hall, Central Plaza Lat Phrao, saying it is intended to keep the public informed of government preparations and measures to deal with future flood crises, with a view to bringing back local and foreign investors’ confidence.

The exhibition, which will be held until 3 September 2012, is the most comprehensive compilation of information about last year’s flood crisis and government efforts to prevent a recurrence of the crisis. It is using computer graphics, multimedia, as well as display boards to convey visitors to understand how much the government has been working to cope with future floods.

-- NNT 2012-09-02

[BookMan]

I hope they have put as much work into the actual physical preparations as they have into their presentation.

[jackr]

How's about 'nitwits installed at major dams to keep Bangkok inundated with water'?

[slapout]

Hope one of the inquistive reporters ask for a tour of the monitoring room and takes a look at the discribed system in operation. The skeptic in me goes to red alert when these people start telling of their accomplishments.

[Thait Spot]

I'm surprised Plodprasop didn't install giant dipsticks.

If the politicos have had anything to do with these cameras, there will be scantily clad females on view.

[OzMick]

Seems an expensive and inefficient way to track levels. Couldn't they use a simple electric level gauge?

[Thai at Heart]

Isn't there anyone in the govt who knows something about telecoms who could sort this out in a better way?

[rubl]

Maybe it's the rain, but I get an error trying to reach www.waterforthai.com

[fareastguy]

I was going to write a response to this latest water saga... but I can't really be bothered!!

Is CCtv the best thing they can think of after doing away with the "pony express rider"

T.I.T R.I.P

[Thai at Heart]

Must be about as riveting as the panda channel.

I notice a device advertised just above called a "WATER DATA LOGGER".

Amazing how it can measure the water level and tell you how much water you have.

[Soutpeel]

I wonder if they are installing water proof CCTV camera's in a subsea housing ?....otherwise not much use when they get wet...

[Soutpeel]

Seems an expensive and inefficient way to track levels. Couldn't they use a simple electric level gauge?

Ah but a simple electric level gauge does not give the same opportunities for little brown envelopes as a "sexy hi-tech" CCTV system

[Gone]

I think this is money well spent........................NOT !!!!!!!!

Cheaper to pay someone 8k baht per month to camp out on the river, make that their home and supply them with a mobile (with a camera) and a box of lao khao during the flood season. After all what good will these CCTV's be the other 9 months of the year?

[OzMick]

Seems an expensive and inefficient way to track levels. Couldn't they use a simple electric level gauge?

Ah but a simple electric level gauge does not give the same opportunities for little brown envelopes as a "sexy hi-tech" CCTV system

In over 30 years as a plant operator, I have seen many advances in tank and dam level metering both local and remote. A gauge board stuck in a dam read by a Mk 1 Eyeball is pretty low tech, even via a CCTV, and suffers from all the old drawbacks. Rain (temporarily) and birdshit (birds love to land on the gauge board) are regular problems. At night you will need a light, with attendant insects.

A cute little computer icon with a recent history graph is ample and far from difficult. As you suggest, somebody has ulterior motives or suffers from terminal stupidity.

[Ricardo]

I'm surprised Plodprasop didn't install giant dipsticks.

If the politicos have had anything to do with these cameras, there will be scantily clad females on view.

"giant dipsticks" ... I'm sure the various dams already have personnel on-site, responsible for monitoring the levels, no need to install new equipment, but then again no commissions to be generated either.

Perhaps the existing dam-managers might be given mobile-phones, and instructed to phone-in the current-levels, at regular-intervals ? And they'd need alarm-clocks, to wake them up, on-time. Rinnnggg !

Edited September 3, 2012 by Ricardo

[DeepInTheForest]

Googling around for info on Thailand dam levels, I see that someone is selling an iOS (iPhone and iPad) app that purports to show the latest dam info "using official status data from EGAT".

http://itunes.apple....d465108192?mt=8

"This app reports statuses of 17 major dam in Thailand, such as Bhumibol Dam, Sirikit Dam, Srinakarind Dam, among the others.

"The statuses for each dam are current water level, in-flow amount, release amount, maximum capacity, among the others. Also, we include graph of 1-year data for each dam_n.

Disclaimer: This app, while using data from EGAT, *does not* affiliate with EGAT in any way, including no support from EGAT."

Haven't tried the app; have no idea if it works or whether the data is updated in timely fashion.

My question is, why doesn't EGAT post this data online where people can see it? How does the app pick it up? I can find no evidence of such a posting on the EGAT website. Perhaps I'm missing it; I haven't searched the Thai language side of EGAT very thoroughly.

Something like this would be ideal, I think:

http://www.seqwater....blic/dam-levels

Incidentally, given the water levels in Queensland dams, one must hope for no large rainfall events there in the near future. They're operating near full capacity. August is historically the driest month in Queensland, but the fact that the dams are at capacity leaves no room for anomalous events... unless again I am missing something.

Edited September 4, 2012 by DeepInTheForest

[Skywalker69]

I hope they have put as much work into the actual physical preparations as they have into their presentation.

I hope they put it high abowe the waterlevel, I fear the don´t.