Flood Drainage Test In Bangkok To Be Stopped If It Goes Wrong

[webfact]

FLOOD DRAINAGE TEST

Test to be stopped if it goes wrong

Jutharat Thipnampha

The Nation

PM concerned about forecast for heavy rain; four monitoring sites

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday promised to call a halt to today's flood drainage test in Bangkok within five minutes if something goes awry amid nagging concerns about overflows.

In the country's first-ever such test, river water will be released in Bangkok's west to examine and evaluate the efficiency of canals and pumps in carrying the surge away to the sea.

Royol Chitradon, director of the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (HAII) and a member

of the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee, said all facilities including pumps, water pushing machines and water level metres were 90 per cent ready for the test. It will be conducted from 2pm to 6pm this afternoon.

In the test, seven cubic metres per second of water from the Thawee Wattana Water Gate will be discharged into Thawee Wattana Canal and coursed through Phasi Charoen Canal before flowing into Bang Waek and out through Phraya Ratchamontri Canal and the Tha Chin River.

The weak point in the western area is where Thawee Wattana Canal narrows near Phetkasem Soi 69 and the current slows from 45 cubic metres per second to 10 cu metres per second.

"We hope that everything goes well and we can collect complete information to make a water model that helps manage the flood and drought situation in the country. This is the first-ever test that we have done," he said.

Four monitoring stations have been set up, including one at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Drainage and Sewerage, where Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra will be in charge.

The BMA station is connected via a video link with the main station located at HAII.

The HAII station will also link with the two others, located at Phetkasem Soi 10/4 in the western area, and the Klong Song Sai Tai sluice gate in the eastern flank.

Sensors and CCTV cameras have been installed to measure the flow rate and water level in the canal.

"We will stop the drainage test immediately if the rainfall is over 30 millimetres per hour as we do not want to make any problems for people," Royol said.

Yingluck was worried about the weather conditions today, as there could be heavy rain during the test.

She instructed the Interior Ministry and the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee to keep a close eye on the test and be prepared to end it within five minutes if needed.

-- The Nation 2012-09-05

[webfact]

Residents near canals brace for flood

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Workers build a 450-metre long and 3m high wall to protect the Bunawas temple community located along the Mahasawas canal from flooding.

BANGKOK: -- People living along canals in Bangkok are worried that the drainage test - run today by the national water protection agency - will affect their homes and fields.

Rueng Lerdlob, a 49-year-old rice farmer, wakes up every morning to check the level of water in Bang Ku Wiang canal. He fears the drainage test in the west of Bangkok will raise the canal's water level and flow into his 20-rai field.

Bang Ku Wiang canal is a small waterway connected to Thawee Wattana Canal, which the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee, will use to test the drainage system today.

According to his visual calculation, the level of water in the canal - next to his paddy field - was only 50 centimetres below the riverbank.

To prevent damage from the drainage test, Rueng has stored over 500 sandbags for a temporary dyke to protect his paddy field and single-storey wooden house, which were submerged under 2 metres of floodwater for more than two months last year.

"The horrible memory about the severe flood is still stuck in my head," he said, while preparing sandbags in his small storehouse.

Rueng said he wanted the government or related agencies to inform him and other villagers along the canal of the exact period for the test, and the amount of water that will be released into Thawee Wattana Canal to check the drainage system, so they can prepare preventive measures against flooding.

"No one from related authorities has told us where and when they will discharge water [up to] today into the canal and what the impact would be," he said, adding that he had had to follow developments by himself via the media.

Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute director Dr Royol Chitradon, a member of the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee, said the national water protection agency would run the drainage test in western Bangkok from 2pm to 6pm today.

They will release water at 7 cubic metres per second from Thawee Wattana water gate into Thawee Wattana Canal and through the Phasi Charoen Canal.

Discharged water will flow into Bang Waek, Phraya Ratchamontri canal and the Tha Chin River.

The release is aimed at testing the efficiency of drainage from Bangkok to the sea. The weakest point in the western area is where the Thawee Wattana Canal narrows near Phetkasem Soi 69, where drainage drops from 45 to 10 cubic metres per second.

The committee will also run a drainage test in eastern Bangkok on Friday, starting from 2pm to 4pm. The water agency will open the water gate at Klong Song Canal and release 3 cubic metres per second.

Water will flow through Klong Thanon Canal beside Phaholyothin Road, Klong Lat Phrao Canal, Rama 9 flood diversion tunnel, into the Chao Phraya River. More water will flow from Bang Bau Canal and Bang Khen Canal to the Chao Phraya.

The water agency wants to test the efficiency of the Rama IX flood diversion tunnel and Bang Bau and Bang Khen canals. They have found Bang Khen Canal will be a weak point for the test, as water will flow close to Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and Lat Phrao Soi 56.

Taxi driver Amnuay Chokchai, 43, whose house is located near Lat Phrao Canal, said he has ready for flooding and had tried to reduce the risk by lifting all personal belongings and electronic devices to higher places. But he said he wasn't worried about the impact of the drainage test in Bangkok's east on Friday because Lat Phrao Canal was ready to receive large amounts of water after officials removed mud and sewage from it.

"If the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration opens the water gate, the level of water will recede quickly," he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the government would stop the test immediately - within five minutes - if there was an error or problem.

Check out the related video clip at www.nationmultimedia.com

-- The Nation 2012-09-05

[BookMan]

Lets just hope by the time they realise something has gone wrong that its not too late.

[khunron13]

"Flood Drainage Test In Bangkok To Be Stopped If It Goes Wrong"....Duh!

[apetley]

"........were 90% ready for the test".

Wouldn't it be prudent to be 100% ready?

[Thai at Heart]

Great headline. Nah, keep on going I sat.

Science minister claims sun shines in daytime.

[Mosha]

Just the headline had me laughing.

[Soutpeel]

Lets just hope by the time they realise something has gone wrong that its not too late.

I beleive they used the same rational at Chernobyl, lets just test this quick, if it starts going wrong we will stop immediately...

[SomTumTiger]

If something does go wrong, that loud f$cking cursing and swearing you hear will be me. My house sits about 50 meters from Taweewattana canal near Mahidol U...

[nongnuch]

It is not peak hour between 2pm - 6pm on a Friday afternoon is it ?

[MaxLee]

When something goes wrong without a plan and without telling people in advance again,...for example if the water flow is too strong to close the gates, or if the gates break,... Oh, ooooouuuuhhhhh

[Gonzo the Face]

Test to be stopped in 5 minutes if something goes wrong......

I am sure there is already in place a contingency excuse to cover Y A if it does go wrong.

Is this from the same cabal that feels its ok to ease out little white lies .....

[Thai at Heart]

I fail to see, that if they estimate the maximum flow to 10 cubic a second, what is the benefit of running it at 7 cubic?

Or maybe the true flow is 5 cubic, and they want to chance their arm. Wouldn't it be a high school geography project to estimate the flow rate of a channel or river?

The most scary aspect is that the maximum flow above the channel is 45 cubic reportedly, so basically this channel will ALWAYS flood unless they modify it. or cause flooding up channel. Surely some this gazzilion baht budget would be well spent to modify known issues like this?

[anon467367354]

so if it doesn't work they are going to stop? this must be a very new concept for it to make news.

[robblok]

What i find strange is that if you know of a problem point that is only letting through 20% or less then the rest of the canal that they would not dredge.. enlarge that portion some way. It would be a huge win for drainage.

[paniolo]

now granted i'm no scientist.......but near Soi 69 where the flow goes from 45 cubic meters per second to 10 cubic meters per second don't work out so good with the math i learned.........who is responsible for these decisions ?????................good luck and best wishes to those down stream.....

[drdoom6996]

Lets just hope by the time they realise something has gone wrong that its not too late.

+1

[drdoom6996]

Test to be stopped in 5 minutes if something goes wrong......

I am sure there is already in place a contingency excuse to cover Y A if it does go wrong.

Is this from the same cabal that feels its ok to ease out little white lies .....

To make everyone feel better????????????????????????????

[zakk9]

Now, let's see: One main problem during last year's flood was that the water was building up behind all the obstacles erected in and around Bangkok, the sad state of many canals being another. Now, they are building more walls to protect property, but also limiting the ways the water can flow towards the sea. Is it just me, or is there something that doesn't rhyme here?

[Ripple]

Well, just to be optimistic, perhaps we will learn something useful from this test. If it works out fine, then it would seem that some progress has actually been made to reduce the flooding problems.

It's kind of nice to see some action instead of talk only.

[geriatrickid]

If something does go wrong, that loud f$cking cursing and swearing you hear will be me. My house sits about 50 meters from Taweewattana canal near Mahidol U...

I'd be more worried about where the discharge of leftover solvents and clinical waste from the Mahidol labs goes.

[webfact]

Govt set to test water flow in Bangkok's canals today

BANGKOK, Sept 5 - The government is set to start a water flow test in Bangkok’s canals at 2 pm today to help it evaluate the effectiveness of the drainage system in canals on the western and eastern sides of the capital.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered closed circuit television monitors installed to monitor flood testing for Bangkok residents.

She stressed that the tests would be carried out carefully and the operation would stop immediately if problems occurred. The government will report the result of the testing to the public.

The test on the flood prevention system is due to be conducted today and Friday.

Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi who chairs the Water Resources Management and Flood Control Committee earlier said the test run, to be conducted in western and eastern Bangkok, is being done to prepare for northern runoff in October. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-09-05

[Thai at Heart]

In my country they perform these tests in a laboratory. It is controlled, and it is possible to test all kind of situations, like pump failures and so on.....

Waterloopkundig laboratorium.

http://www.deltares.nl/en

Oh smartypants, TIT. They know better.

I am sure if they had asked nicely they could have had a scale model of the entire system built by the Dutch for free, and Yingluck and her bunch could play pooh-sticks to their hearts content in the comfort of their own home.

[robblok]

In my country they perform these tests in a laboratory. It is controlled, and it is possible to test all kind of situations, like pump failures and so on.....

Waterloopkundig laboratorium.

http://www.deltares.nl/en

Oh smartypants, TIT. They know better.

I am sure if they had asked nicely they could have had a scale model of the entire system built by the Dutch for free, and Yingluck and her bunch could play pooh-sticks to their hearts content in the comfort of their own home.

I know the Dutch are great at water management (im Dutch) but i am not sure if it could account for everything. A model is just that a model, the real thing is a different beast all together.

But of course testing in a model before testing in the real thing makes a lot of sense.

[Thai at Heart]

In my country they perform these tests in a laboratory. It is controlled, and it is possible to test all kind of situations, like pump failures and so on.....

Waterloopkundig laboratorium.

http://www.deltares.nl/en

Oh smartypants, TIT. They know better.

I am sure if they had asked nicely they could have had a scale model of the entire system built by the Dutch for free, and Yingluck and her bunch could play pooh-sticks to their hearts content in the comfort of their own home.

I know the Dutch are great at water management (im Dutch) but i am not sure if it could account for everything. A model is just that a model, the real thing is a different beast all together.

But of course testing in a model before testing in the real thing makes a lot of sense.

Well knowingly pushing water from a channel with a max flow rate of 45 cubic per min into a channel of maximum 10 cubic per minute is going to prove exactly what? They know how far to open the channel to regulate 7 cubic per minute. They really need to do a full scale test to discover this?

Wooooopppeeeee.

Then what? Either it will flood or it won't in reality.

I am all for testing, but in reality, the entire system could be computer modelled in very little time, all of the pinch points calculated, redesigns made, modelled again on computer, and something would improve. Why must it be done to re-invent the wheel over and over again, and claiming success, instead of availing oneself of all the accumulated global knowledge that is out there?

We have super computers modelling global weather, I somehow think that the Bangkok canal and drainage system isn't beyond most powerful home computers and some modelling software.

[robblok]

In my country they perform these tests in a laboratory. It is controlled, and it is possible to test all kind of situations, like pump failures and so on.....

Waterloopkundig laboratorium.

http://www.deltares.nl/en

Oh smartypants, TIT. They know better.

I am sure if they had asked nicely they could have had a scale model of the entire system built by the Dutch for free, and Yingluck and her bunch could play pooh-sticks to their hearts content in the comfort of their own home.

I know the Dutch are great at water management (im Dutch) but i am not sure if it could account for everything. A model is just that a model, the real thing is a different beast all together.

But of course testing in a model before testing in the real thing makes a lot of sense.

Well knowingly pushing water from a channel with a max flow rate of 45 cubic per min into a channel of maximum 10 cubic per minute is going to prove exactly what? They know how far to open the channel to regulate 7 cubic per minute. They really need to do a full scale test to discover this?

Wooooopppeeeee.

Then what? Either it will flood or it won't in reality.

I am all for testing, but in reality, the entire system could be computer modelled in very little time, all of the pinch points calculated, redesigns made, modelled again on computer, and something would improve. Why must it be done to re-invent the wheel over and over again, and claiming success, instead of availing oneself of all the accumulated global knowledge that is out there?

We have super computers modelling global weather, I somehow think that the Bangkok canal and drainage system isn't beyond most powerful home computers and some modelling software.

I am sure everything can be put in a computer model if you have the correct data. But how do you know that there is no blockage anywhere or that the data is correct. A model is a model and in the Netherlands id trust it, here not really as im not sure all things are documented.

If you read more in the topic i also wondered about the 45 vs 10 cubic meters

[asiawatcher]

Interesting - wait and see.

[pacovl46]

"........were 90% ready for the test".

Wouldn't it be prudent to be 100% ready?

I'm pretty sure that they are aiming to be 100% ready and were only at 90% at the time of the press release.

[Bagwan]

Meanwhile, back in Ayutthaya.

[webfact]

related topic:

Drainage tests inundate rice field in Thailand’s old capital

AYUTTHAYA, Sept 5 – More than 1,000 rai of paddy field in this 'rice bowl' province, 76km north of Bangkok, was flooded Wednesday as the water level rose one metre higher than the Chao Phraya river, the lifeline of the central plains.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ital-ayutthaya/