Expert urges channel to drain water from Chao Phraya River

PONGPHON SARNSAMAK,

CHULARAT SAENGPASSA

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A water expert has called on the government to build another major flood-diversion channel as quickly as possible in order to drain a large amount of water from the Chao Phraya River into the sea.

The government should spend about Bt200 billion to build a 258-kilometre-long, 160-metre-wide channel that would pass through Chai Nat, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok and Samut Prakan provinces, Thailand Water Resources Association (TWRA) president Apichart Anukulamphai said yesterday.

The project is aimed at lowering the amount of run-off from the Chao Phraya itself and reducing the impact of flooding in the lower Chao Phraya region.

Apichart presented the project at the "The Water and Flood Management Model, Flood Diversion Conceptual Framework, and Analysis to reduce the impact from 2012 flooding" seminar, organised by the TWRA and the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority.

Last year, more than more than 5,300 cubic metres of floodwater per second flowed into the Chao Phraya, whereas the river had the capacity to carry only 3,500 cubic metres per second.

If the government went ahead with the project proposed by the association, the new flood-diversion channel in the eastern Chao Phraya could redirect about 1,500 cubic metres of water per second to the sea, while another 300 cubic metres per second would drain into the western Chao Phraya via the Makham Thao-U-Thong canal and the Tha Chin River, he said.

The new channel would run from Ta Nam Oi in Nakhon Sawan through the Manorom watergate, Chai Nat's Pasak Canal and then the Phra Ong Chaochaiyanuchit Canal before emptying into the Gulf of Thailand in Samut Prakan province.

However, Apichart said the project had been proposed to the government several times before, but there had been no response from the authorities.

WATER PANEL'S PLANS

Meanwhile, Hydro and Agro Infomatics Institute director Royol Chitdon, who sits on a Water and Flood Management Committee sub-panel, said the committee has developed a plan to reduce the impact of flooding in Bangkok caused by run-off water from the North

Under the plan, 20 million cubic metres of water per second would be diverted from the Chao Phraya to the eastern area, via the Bang Pa Kong river, onwards to the Pra Ong Chaochaiyanuchit canal and then into the sea.

Royol said the committee would use the Rapeepat Canal to drain about 60 cubic metres of water per second. The canal has a maximum capacity to carry about 200 cubic metres per second.

The committee also has an alternative option to use Bangkok's artificial waterways, starting with the Hok, Saen Saeb, Phra Khanong and Samrong canals, which are able to drain about 20 million cubic metres per second into the sea.

However, it will not use this option if there is heavy rainfall in the city, he added.

For western Bangkok, the committee will drain about 200 million cubic metres of water per second into the Tha Chin. Some water will also be discharged into the Prapimon and Prayabanlue canals.

Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan said the ministry was erecting a temporary embankment surrounding Bangkok to prevent the capital from flooding.

Construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of the month, with about 20 per cent of the work having been done to date, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-09-19

Thailand already has a canal around the Chao Praya River, it's called BKK

It's not the silliest of ideas. I wonder how much the government would need to build it? I would guess about 120 billion baht.

I understand there are some translation issues that make stories hard to read, but come on! is not 200 or 200,000,000 the same in Thai as it is in English. GEEZ!

Why don't they just widen the river on both sides, sacrifice all the river residents and hotels for the sake of inner Bangkok? That would make more sense over the long term. Who would remember the upstaged poor on the river banks when the important thing of saving the inner elite of Bangkok and their property was accomplished? No flooding in central Bangkok - that's the key.

If they would actually clear out the existing canals/klongs/etc and really dredge the river, the cost and disruption would be much less -- apart from having to remove the illegal offending blockages caused by builings etc that should not be there.

Maybe a better spend would be to cut big drainage canals across some of the loops of the river.

The most startling thing is that the budget for such a gargantuan channel would only be 200 bn baht. Of course, using the minimal x2 allowance for budgeting on government business anywhere in the world. It sounds like remarkably good value in comparison with with 120bn that has apparently been distributed to virtually no effect what so ever, other than apparently picking up water hyacinth and rubbish.

The govt would be tied up in court and protests for the next 100+ years...until Bangkok sinks into the ocean...in trying to acquire the land to build the canal.

Not if all the politicians of today have bought up the land already.

I wonder if it goes anywhere near Alpine? Problem solved lol.

160m wide??? I guess it is obvious that the folly of filling in many of Bangkok's canals for roads & development has now come home to roost.

The problem in Chao Phraya delta is the limited flow capacity of the existing rivers and canals. Thus Apichiit is right: the only viable long term solution is a large diversion channel (as proposed several times before).

Why not drill a big plug hole in the centre of Thailand and let the water drain out naturally. Much chepaer and permanent. During droughts a giant stopper can be inserted to save water. What do you reckon?? Brillliant I say!

If they would actually clear out the existing canals/klongs/etc and really dredge the river, the cost and disruption would be much less -- apart from having to remove the illegal offending blockages caused by builings etc that should not be there.

Maybe a better spend would be to cut big drainage canals across some of the loops of the river.

Even cheaper to implement would be to stop politicians throwing a monkey wrench in the system by allowing professionals to use their expertise in managing dams instead of telling them what to do with the water.

That river loop around Klong Thoey is screaming to be cut. So easy to do.

Looks like this loop was cut in former times...

Dreamer. You want our land your going to pay through the nose for it.

Why don't they just widen the river on both sides, sacrifice all the river residents and hotels for the sake of inner Bangkok? That would make more sense over the long term. Who would remember the upstaged poor on the river banks when the important thing of saving the inner elite of Bangkok and their property was accomplished? No flooding in central Bangkok - that's the key.

Sacrifice the hotels and apartments on the river banks? This is about as premium real estate as you get. The fact that the poor or up to their necks on ground level is irrelevant if Mr. Pooyai is stuck on the 10th floor unable to get out of his front door. Just like hotels shouldn't have been built in quite such close proximity to the beaches causing issues during the tsunami, no one bothered to notice that building quite so close to the edge of the Chao Praya would issues should you ever want to raise the walls or make any modifications.

Who wants to look out of their river side garden with an unobstructed view of the river if the wall is raised 2m at the end of their back garden?

Bangkok is reaping the harvest of 40 years of virtually unplanned, and unconsidered development.

That river loop around Klong Thoey is screaming to be cut. So easy to do.

You're joking right? The HM the King presided over a big ceremony when they opened the floodgates located in that exact spot.

Try Google maps. You can see it plain as day.

160m wide. I wonder how much rubbish it would take to clog it up?

Why not drill a big plug hole in the centre of Thailand and let the water drain out naturally. Much chepaer and permanent. During droughts a giant stopper can be inserted to save water. What do you reckon?? Brillliant I say!

Is that you Plod?

Why don't they just widen the river on both sides, sacrifice all the river residents and hotels for the sake of inner Bangkok? That would make more sense over the long term. Who would remember the upstaged poor on the river banks when the important thing of saving the inner elite of Bangkok and their property was accomplished? No flooding in central Bangkok - that's the key.

Sacrifice the hotels and apartments on the river banks? This is about as premium real estate as you get. The fact that the poor or up to their necks on ground level is irrelevant if Mr. Pooyai is stuck on the 10th floor unable to get out of his front door. Just like hotels shouldn't have been built in quite such close proximity to the beaches causing issues during the tsunami, no one bothered to notice that building quite so close to the edge of the Chao Praya would issues should you ever want to raise the walls or make any modifications.

Who wants to look out of their river side garden with an unobstructed view of the river if the wall is raised 2m at the end of their back garden?

Bangkok is reaping the harvest of 40 years of virtually unplanned, and unconsidered development.

Not really. Bangkok floods much less these days than 40 years ago.

I think it is a win win solution. It is a huge opportunity for scams, inflated contracts, and over priced land sales for certain forward thinking ministers. And, it is actually an idea that is low tech enough, that it is hard to bugger up.

Assuming water runs downhill in Thailand

Why don't they just widen the river on both sides, sacrifice all the river residents and hotels for the sake of inner Bangkok? That would make more sense over the long term. Who would remember the upstaged poor on the river banks when the important thing of saving the inner elite of Bangkok and their property was accomplished? No flooding in central Bangkok - that's the key.

Sacrifice the hotels and apartments on the river banks? This is about as premium real estate as you get. The fact that the poor or up to their necks on ground level is irrelevant if Mr. Pooyai is stuck on the 10th floor unable to get out of his front door. Just like hotels shouldn't have been built in quite such close proximity to the beaches causing issues during the tsunami, no one bothered to notice that building quite so close to the edge of the Chao Praya would issues should you ever want to raise the walls or make any modifications.

Who wants to look out of their river side garden with an unobstructed view of the river if the wall is raised 2m at the end of their back garden?

Bangkok is reaping the harvest of 40 years of virtually unplanned, and unconsidered development.

Not really. Bangkok floods much less these days than 40 years ago.

Stop the flooding up river and downtown bangkok would be knee deep every year.

That river loop around Klong Thoey is screaming to be cut. So easy to do.

The physics involved in the flow of a river don't allow for such things without consequences ... one of course being more flooding, not to mention the river will naturally try to return to its former length.

Yes, good idea, build a new river. Why didn't nature think of that?

Sounds in principle similar to Canada's Red River Floodway built between 1962-68 to stop flooding in the Cities of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

However, the Red River Floodway was only 47km long and and that took 5 1/2 years to complete.

http://en.wikipedia...._River_Floodway

Looks like this loop was cut in former times...

Rivers have loops for good reasons. The main one is to slow the flow, reducing riverbank erosion issues as the faster the flow, the more erosion (and yes concrete embankments erode and are undercut, especially on long, man-made straight rivers). The loops also increase total capacity of the river.

Cutting the loops just pushes the problem downstream, much like these stupid propellors they have installed next to our place in Thawi Wattana (if they actually serve any purpose at all). If anything, more loops in the river would be of benefit, as it would increase overall holding capacity, especially as gradient is minimal here as the entire city is built on a giant swamp. Without gradient, you can't increase the speed of the water flow.

Expert urges channel to drain water from Chao Phraya River

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I didn't know there was a flooding expert in Thailand !

-mel.

It's not the silliest of ideas. I wonder how much the government would need to build it? I would guess about 120 billion baht.

Of course it isn't, you dont need to be an engineer to think that out, though!! However, such a canal will take too long to build and the payout (as in the final result) won't be within this government's term, hence they wont build it, I'm afraid...!

It's not the silliest of ideas. I wonder how much the government would need to build it? I would guess about 120 billion baht.

200 Billion