Bangkok Sinking Faster

[sirchai]

No Worries Yingluck has called the Dutch water engineers.........As you know they have knowhow how to solve water problems.

Rotterdam and surrounded area's are -8 meters below sealevel.......

But Dutch people don't loose face.....

[Pulle]

Bangkok, one big floating market.... looking forward to it !

[malcyx]

the only practical long term solution is to move the city. anything else is doomed to fail with massive loss of life and property.t

then the issue becomes one of compensation for loss of land in places like Samut Prakarn and other southern areas, or allocation of substitute land in the NE/NW.

What's the bet there's no compensation for hiuseholders

"5) to reclaim land and practically cover up the Gulf of Thailand area"

umm i dont think that's very practical.

just MHO

Atleast 2 separate issues

Storm Surge.

excessive rainfall.

They each require a different solution.

The dude,has one tough job.

He has to educate the population, then find a solution.

Good luck on both.

No wonder he sounds pissed.

the only practical long term solution is to move the city. anything else is doomed to fail with massive loss of life and property.t

then the issue becomes one of compensation for loss of land in places like Samut Prakarn and other southern areas, or allocation of substitute land in the NE/NW.

What's the bet there's no compensation for hiuseholders

"5) to reclaim land and practically cover up the Gulf of Thailand area"

umm i dont think that's very practical.

just MHO

Atleast 2 separate issues

Storm Surge.

excessive rainfall.

They each require a different solution.

The dude,has one tough job.

He has to educate the population, then find a solution.

Good luck on both.

No wonder he sounds pissed.

It was known long before any of us were born that BKK is on a flood plain... Nature will determine what happens to the land and whats been built on it lol.. Anybody who buys property on a floodplain is rolling the dice anywhere in the world..Why should people be compensated for there losses.. If you choose to buy property or business in such an area then thats up to you ...just make sure you are well inssured for everything..if not then selling is an option..

Or people could do number one lol...nothing at all.... priceless

[hansnl]

The Dutch specialists and advisers were sent home.

The Chinese "specia;ists" were asked advise.

I wonder what the advise was about.

Anyway, the solution is dykes, floodareas, floodareas upstream, wider streambeds, uncluttered and unbuilt highwater beds, and so on and so on.

And that cost money.

And thinking ahead.

Precisely those things not really readily available, are they?

By the way, nearly 50% of the Netherlands is BELOW sea level, while two big rivers originating elsewhere in Europe empty their water throught the low parts of the country.

The rising sea level?

How much might that be in the Gulf?

Or in the North sea with it's incredible differences between ebb and flood?

Seen in that light, Bangkok has a problem with it's river(s), not with it's "sinking".

It still is above sea level.

and the differences between tides are minimal.

So the real problem is simply storage of rainwater upstream.

And that is exactly the problem.

Edited February 19, 2013 by hansnl

[draftvader]

Where's the suggestion with boats, propellers, reverse thrust and tethering? Seriously, where? This is a proven scientific method mooted by the greatest scientific leader in the land, why is it not there?

[Jdietz]

[ozyjon]

I live in a small village in the Issan region,, land around the area has been bought out by people from Bangkok, this has been going on for the past few years, do they know something we don't ??? not much free land available now unless you are prepared to buy it at double the previous sale price. Where will it lead to i wonder ?

[apetley]

I live in a small village in the Issan region,, land around the area has been bought out by people from Bangkok, this has been going on for the past few years, do they know something we don't ??? not much free land available now unless you are prepared to buy it at double the previous sale price. Where will it lead to i wonder ?

Anyone with any 'connections' has known for years that Buriram will be the next capital of Thailand.

[theajarn]

This is why I advised my in-laws to build their new house way above ground... The first floor reserved for parking space (3 cars) with a ramp that leads up to front entrance in case of a flood. Which WILL happen. At least it'll give em a couple more years.

On the other hand, I wonder if karma will bestow its gifts upon Thailand and the greedy motherfo's who are responsible for all the natural canals being filled in with cement. Greedy, greedy Thais. Unfortunately not all deserve to perish in a flood... and as always, the scumbags will be enjoying dry land in their Burberry boots whilst the average people will suffer.

[Baerboxer]

Everyone in the north talks about this--mainly Chiang Rai. I've been subjected to unprompted discussions numerous times by complete strangers, more specifically, Thai guys in their late 20's - early 30's, who know little English and stumble through lengthy explanations.

I've never heard this topic brought up by anyone in Bangkok.

That's because in true Thai tradition they hope that it will go away if they ignore it long enough!

[Markaew]

I wish they would be more specific about where the areas of Bangkok are going to sink so I can buy waterfront property.

But then again, these predictions were probably made by Thai "engineers".

[wpcoe]

This is an opportunity, you're looking at the future Venice of Southeast Asia.

That is, if you don't mind navigating around spent Red Bull bottles and the miscellaneous floating turd.

Not sure if you're aware, but Bangkok used to be known as "The Venice of Asia" due to all the klongs. You know, all the klongs that used to help drain off the water into the gulf but were filled in for urban development?

[tragickingdom]

Did they need a Thai satellite to figure that out? Probably not. If the figures are suddenly different they might work out to be another "white lie" in order to push funding for the satellite business.

[canuckamuck]

The whole city needs a do-over anyhow.

[diddums]

maybe time to move out to the mountains ?

Yes.......I have 7 rai for sale at 500k per wah......wonderful site for...anything really

[ricky2002]

This is an opportunity, you're looking at the future Venice of Southeast Asia.

That is, if you don't mind navigating around spent Red Bull bottles and the miscellaneous floating turd.

Not sure if you're aware, but Bangkok used to be known as "The Venice of Asia" due to all the klongs. You know, all the klongs that used to help drain off the water into the gulf but were filled in for urban development?

Here in Isaan, after the last floods, most of the canals, dykes, ditches and rivers have been, or are being dredged, deepened.... What will the advantage of this be? the rain/floods will run off much faster thus helping to alleviate flooding. Where will this run-off of excess water go to? Bangkok of course. You don't need to be an academic in water drainage technology to realise this.

[stevehaigh]

i bet they go for option 1. 1) to not do anything at all

[Thai at Heart]

I wish they would be more specific about where the areas of Bangkok are going to sink so I can buy waterfront property.

But then again, these predictions were probably made by Thai "engineers".

The top if baiyoke should be dry for a few milenia, but getting to work might be tough

[MaiThaiMai]

This is an opportunity, you're looking at the future Venice of Southeast Asia.

That is, if you don't mind navigating around spent Red Bull bottles and the miscellaneous floating turd.

Not sure if you're aware, but Bangkok used to be known as "The Venice of Asia" due to all the klongs. You know, all the klongs that used to help drain off the water into the gulf but were filled in for urban development?

Here in Isaan, after the last floods, most of the canals, dykes, ditches and rivers have been, or are being dredged, deepened.... What will the advantage of this be? the rain/floods will run off much faster thus helping to alleviate flooding. Where will this run-off of excess water go to? Bangkok of course. You don't need to be an academic in water drainage technology to realise this.

Seems to me there's a PERFECT opportunity for construction companies that KNOWS how to stilt (housing) buildings...on Thai Government's tab of course

MaiThaiMai

[JetsetBkk]

"...said Anon Sanitwong Na Ayuttaya (Director of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency."

I don't trust anyone with a "Na" in their family name.

(Ever since I had a girlfriend "... Na Lampang".)

[rattler]

Dont worry next week theyll realise they got the chart upside down or something!!!

[vijer]

10 years huh? That isn't much time, I've already lived here almost 2 years and it only seems a day. It might take them a few more years to see that it is a real problem. I have asked a lot of Thai's if they know how high Bangkok sits above sea level, none have any idea.

Sounds like a good opportunity to line some pockets with the public's money. "We need 1 trillion to put a wall around BKK so let's budget 2 trillion. We can get one company to do the whole project. They can use 7mm blocks and Burmese and Cambodian workers. If we are lucky the wall they start building won't fall down until we have been paid all our tea money."

[gemini81]

Lots of solutions have been suggested and advised, but little has been done. What was done was foolish, holding up water in dams, Big Bag. Until the politicians are able to swallow their pride, consult with the Dutch or Japanese and invest without trying to profit from corruption, little will be done. The infrastructure is better than places like Manila, but for flood prevention, their small time efforts (like tug boats) just aren't enough. Even if they had a debt to Chinese investors or other nations to borrow enough to get serious about it, long-term the debt would pay off and be better than the catastrophies that await us, which'll be more costly

. I am flabbergasted how little they've done in a country built on water; knowing full-well flooding is such a serious issue in the central plains and something must be done. With pheua thai in power, doesn't look too promising

Edited February 19, 2013 by gemini81

[OzMick]

Note that this is land subsidence, caused by the weight of the multi-storey buildings and pumping out groundwater (amongst other things) and not sea levels rising which is another problem. This is a recognised problem in many coastal cities (Jakarta has a big problem) yet do we hear an signs of discouragement from building more and taller buildings?

[diddums]

Dont worry next week theyll realise they got the chart upside down or something!!!

They might just turn it over...oh look...its rising now.

Silly question...but has anyone thought to turn the tap off...stop them bloody cloud seeding planes ?

[Thai at Heart]

Lots of solutions have been suggested and advised, but little has been done. What was done was foolish, holding up water in dams, Big Bag. Until the politicians are able to swallow their pride, consult with the Dutch or Japanese and invest without trying to profit from corruption, little will be done. The infrastructure is better than places like Manila, but for flood prevention, their small time efforts (like tug boats) just aren't enough. Even if they had a debt to Chinese investors or other nations to borrow enough to get serious about it, long-term the debt would pay off and be better than the catastrophies that await us, which'll be more costly

. I am flabbergasted how little they've done in a country built on water; knowing full-well flooding is such a serious issue in the central plains and something must be done. With pheua thai in power, doesn't look too promising

Bangkok as a city is dying. You can't move, conducting business is a nightmare. Just wait, dozens of boi projects for isaan this year.

People and businesses will move slowly at first, but give it 10 years. Population will probably be falling.

[F430murci]

Sinking or waters rising?

[aonangkrabi]

What I miss in the article are some hard facts. How fast is Bangkok sinking? How fast did they think previously it was sinking?

[scotbeve]

maybe time to move out to the mountains ?

NO!!!!!

I agree. Folks, stay where you are!!!

[inquisitive]

maybe time to move out to the mountains ?

NO!!!!!

You seem to have strong feelings about this. Can you tell us more? Why do you say "No!!!"? (I'm not trying to argue. I'm genuinely interested in your opinion)