Pattaya Beach Erosion Project

[fakename]

I was on beach road yesterday, first time in months, and couldnt believe the north end of the beach. Is this the solution for the beach erosion, SANDBAGS! This project started months ago, and not much has changed, except getting worse. There are palm trees that are ready to fall on somone, and the concrete wall could fall down any time. One would think that they should block off that section of the beach, so no one would be injured, but then that is normal here. I just cant figure out the sandbag idea, and where they are going with it.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Maybe so the powers that be can stick their heads in a sandbag as there is no more sand left in which to do so!

Totally agree...a pretty pathetic beach for a beach resort town but not much can be done...natural current shifts seem to be eroding away the beach (and creating a new one somewhere else).

[doggie888888]

You think that's bad? sections of Wong amart has been like this for 3 years. A string of band aid solutions with a few private developer's idea of make good so we can sell apartments.... Parts of The walk way has collapsed, the beach is badly eroded and there is usually rubbish everywhere. Shame. It was a really pretty spot a mere 5 years ago.

[fakename]

If you mean the walk way, just north of pattaya beach, I think its been collapsed forever, at least dangerous to walk on. It is strange, that seems no one cares or is responsible for the beaches. The city gives out new umbrellas, but doesnt really do anything about the quality of the beach. There are only two reasons why people come to Pattaya, one is the beach, the other is..............well, we all know what that is. Even the other reason is losing ground, since all the land is bought up to build hotels and condos, so the cheap land that the bars are on, has to give way. If the beach and beach road cannot be fixed, then there is no hope for the rest of the city.

[johng]

I'm convinced in my own mind that the erosion problem is largely due to building the Bali Hai pier an removal of the old pier at the entrance to Walking Street.

together with cutting down all the old trees that used to line the beach and replacing them with palms.

Now they are building a " Marina " at Bali Hai I wonder if they have done any modeling to see how the construction changes water flow in Pattaya bay.

[wans]

I think its more likely rain runoff washing the sand out to sea rather then currents, if they ever fixed it they could solve the footpath becoming a lake when it rains problem at the same time. theres a nice big poster billboard near walking st that shows they are planning to rebuild the whole footpath and make it blue, but weather they will do it or if it involves fixing the drainage is anyones guess

Edited March 5, 2013 by wans

[Awohalitsiktoli]

The southern most part of Jomtien Beach is also virtually gone. The reason is likely twofold: 1) global warming (climate change) and 2) the fact that the old-growth umbrella trees--that prevented erosion--were cut down by some idiots and replaced by palm trees.

[fakename]

Beach erosion is in many parts of the world, and usually its all man made, but they usually come up with a solution, which usually involves bring in more sand, by truck or dredging, building break waters, but sand bagging seems like something you do after a typhoon, not to make a HUB resort. The new sand at Jomtien is also slowly but surely, moving out to sea, same with Bang Saray. Beaches are natural, and made by nature, something has gone wrong with the planing and so now the sand is moving away. Probably the beach is now too narrow and steep, so no way the sand can stay there, it wants to go down hill! The beach road and buildings have taken up all the beach.

I just cant see people coming to Thailand, to lay on sand bags, or stay in a hotel, and have a sandbag view!

[Wilma Fingadoo]

They all need sacking at Pattaya City Hall the lot of them.

[fakename]

If there is a lot of sacking going on, then we need even more bags!

[siberianwarcat]

I have not lived here too long so if the feelings of disappointment the OP's post raised define that I am not yet 100% cynical, then I am sorry.

I regularly see the deck chair venders cleaning up their sections of beach. They appear to do a pretty good job in Jomtien (at least on the section between Soi 8 and Soi 9). So credit please to them.

It seems a real shame that opportunities for longer term development planning and environmental future-proofing have been missed.

Even at this stage though, surely, it is not too late. Solutions to the beach front and marine environment just need to have a strategic framework and broader view.

Questions: Why can't developers and other stakeholders (including the individuals who already do their bit everyday), be brought together to plan, develop and maintain a beach front everyone can be proud of?

Isn't erosion simply an engineering challenge with all "solutions" limited only by budget?

I am sure that simple gabion's could be very cheaply manufactured here and used to replace the sandbags to make revetments sloping into the wash, at least in 6 or so key areas where the erosion is it it's worst between Wongamat and Jomtien. Something should be done which means in general we keep the sand and don't end up with ugly concrete tetrapods scattered along the coastline once the sand has gone.

Sorry for the rant.

[toenail]

I have lived/ worked in Pattaya area for 8 years and have been disappointed how city officials could give little thought to the most prized possession the city has, and that is Pattaya Bay and its promenade. It is totally neglected and it seems that city hall sits on their bottoms and do nothing. Meanwhile, the bay gets more and more polluted, the erosion gets worse at eating away the small strip of beach there is...and then they come up with this idiotic idea to widen Beach Road and make a "new" beach walkway (promenade). They can't maintain the beach the way it is, why do they come up with a plan that will take more beach away? And it seems that when they do contract a company ? (relative?) do carry out a project it is always done by inexperienced amateurs. (look at how long it took Jomtien Rd to be widen and the poor quality). The erosion project across from Amari hotel was started in August and the sandbags as a sea wall with sand brought in has taken 7 months just to do the shoreline from near Dusit to now in front of the Holiday Inn. Slow..Slow...Slow. Like I have said, the city council members do not walk around the city to notice what needs to be improved, they just worry about how their position can benefit their private business. All talk and no action. -But this is Thailand so I will accept it.

[siberianwarcat]

Is that it then, we all just like it or lump it?

Why can't our ideas simply be fed into the city's planning process?

Even if collective foreign voices carry little to no weight, surely good ideas simply help?

[morrobay]

I'm convinced in my own mind that the erosion problem is largely due to building the Bali Hai pier an removal of the old pier at the entrance to Walking Street.

together with cutting down all the old trees that used to line the beach and replacing them with palms.

Now they are building a " Marina " at Bali Hai I wonder if they have done any modeling to see how the construction changes water flow in Pattaya bay.

The erosian is going to be much worse in the winter months at North end of beach. Because of swell directions, sand goes South for the winter and North in summer.

Also since the load of sand that a current transports is proportional to the current velocity. Any obstacle like a point or sandbags that slows the current causes sand to be dropped.

The problem is that once past the obstacle , the water picks up velocity - and sand. So that beach just South of sandbags is going to be wiped out. Yes you may be right about the removal of the old pier since being an obstacle would slow the prevailing North to South current in winter..

[threelegcowboy]

Its been many years since I had a geology class so looking for ref material I found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_erosion

and sorting through this material to find beach erosion info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_morphodynamics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_recession_of_beaches

So nature takes its course and the beach is eroding for now. As soon as the dynamics change it will deposit sand back. This has happened thousands of times in this beach history. The bed rock maybe 20 feet down from the beach surface has been erroded when the beach was further inland.

KohLarn was at one time attached to the mainland and erosion has made it into an isand.

The rate of this erosion is what is important. The city can only try to slow this process. Money number 1. Sandbags temp fix for small jobs. Rock cheap fix overall. Expensive to bring in that much sand.

[fakename]

I dont know how they do it in Siberia, but here in Thailand, nobody living in kickback land is going to listen to a farang, or a whole bunch of farangs. The beach project is already going, and nothing is going to change it, except maybe taking a little break, for a few years. Sure, the beach will wash away, we know that, and maybe even they know that, but then that will be another project for another family member. Lets see what happens once the rainy season gets going, im guessing beach road will be flooded like before, and half the promenade will wash away. Blame it on the extra heavy rains, that no one could foresee.

I cant wait for the Sukhumvit under pass to get started, that will be much more fun, that the beach project. Maybe some enterprising Thai will have a boat service, to ferry people across the flooded Suk.

[brummiebob]

Another way is they could put an embankment all the way from north rd to walking street, make it a riviera style boulevard and call it a day

[morrobay]

I'm convinced in my own mind that the erosion problem is largely due to building the Bali Hai pier an removal of the old pier at the entrance to Walking Street.

together with cutting down all the old trees that used to line the beach and replacing them with palms.

Now they are building a " Marina " at Bali Hai I wonder if they have done any modeling to see how the construction changes water flow in Pattaya bay.

The erosian is going to be much worse in the winter months at North end of beach. Because of swell directions, sand goes South for the winter and North in summer.

Also since the load of sand that a current transports is proportional to the current velocity. Any obstacle like a point or sandbags that slows the current causes sand to be dropped.

The problem is that once past the obstacle , the water picks up velocity - and sand. So that beach just South of sandbags is going to be wiped out. Yes you may be right about the removal of the old pier since being an obstacle would slow the prevailing North to South current in winter..

Told you so - See beach in front Holiday Inn, just South of sand bags.

[JSixpack]

Is that it then, we all just like it or lump it?

Yep.

Why can't our ideas simply be fed into the city's planning process?

An idea plus 70 baht buys you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Smiles are free, however.

Even if collective foreign voices carry little to no weight, surely good ideas simply help?

Not a bit. Money #1.

Another way is they could put an embankment all the way from north rd to walking street, make it a riviera style boulevard and call it a day:P

It's not unlikely this could happen, I'd say. That way, we'd at least have a road. But, who knows. Guess they'll put down sandbags long as they can.

[morrobay]

Three of the four concrete pillars at the base of the very tall and heavely torqued ( r x F ) lamp post are exposed , degraded and crumbling . At this location : The beach just South of sandbags in front of Holiday Inn. That concrete must have had alot of sand mixed with it. One pillar has no concrete at all just below base structure, exposing very thin and rusted iron bars.

Edited December 10, 2013 by morrobay

[toenail]

If City Council wanst to deny that they are not "idiots" then they would put more attention to the appearance and preservatioin of Pattaya and Wongamat Beach. Interesting how the city can quickly give out building permits to these mega- condo towers going up along the beach; yet, don't have the funds (or expertise) to improve the "goose that laid the golden egg"-- the beach???? Sometimes I think the meaning of being "pro-active" or "caring for your community" is in the mayor's or city representatives' mind. Organizing a firework, music, or marathon event (which includes renting out market stall space) YES, that is what they are good at.