Phimai at risk from surge of runoff

[Lite Beer]

FLOOD
Phimai at risk from surge of runoff
The Sunday Nation

Nakhon Ratchasima area could experience a repeat of 2010 inundation, official warns

Phimai in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima has been warned of some 40 million cubic metres of runoff from three days time - which could revive the 2010 flood scenario, Irrigation Office 8 head Chichanok Somprasert said.

Phimai was hit hard by floods in October 2010, when its stone ruins were a metre under water.

Yesterday's warning prompted local bodies to dredge channels and clear water-borne weeds to boost draining capacity.

Meanwhile, Supoj Tovichakchaikul, secretary-general of the Office of the National Policy on Water and Flood Management, yesterday affirmed that tropical storm "Nari" would not affect Thailand.

Supoj told the "Yingluck Government Meets the People" weekly national address yesterday that the storm was expected to make a landfall in central Vietnam on Wednesday-Thursday but the high pressure ridge from China on Wednesday would weaken the storm into a tropical depression, so it would not affect Thailand.

Rain during this period would go into reservoirs and dams, ensuring sufficient water for agriculture next year, he said. He assured that water released from Pasak Jolasid Dam - brimming at 112 per cent of capacity - into Chao Phraya River would not affect Bangkok city, as in 2011.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) chief Chatchai Promlert said that from September 17, floods had affected just over 3 million people in 42 provinces and that 28 provinces remain submerged.

As for flood prevention at industrial estates, Verapong Chaiperm, governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, said they had integrated flood-watch information with related agencies and prepared tools, including concrete dykes as well as organised drills for personnel.

Areas of concern now were the Khlong Luang basin and Chon Buri's Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate, but so far they were well supported with water-draining devices from related agencies, he added.

In Ang Thong, where the flood situation has improved, Deputy Minister of Interior Pracha Prasobdee handed out 530 relief bags to affected residents in Pa Mok district. He also inspected flood levels in Muang district.

Prachin Buri's Kabin Buri and Si Maha Phot districts saw flood levels receding, while 400 families in Prachantakham district were still marooned by two-metre-deep floods. Aid was being sent by boats only.

In Buri Ram, Nang Rong district continued to suffer up to one-metre-deep flooding. Buri Ram disaster prevention and mitigation official Natthawat Onsuwan said 22 districts in the province were declared flood-disaster zones, with a total of 256,847 people affected.

-- The Nation 2013-10-13

[Thaddeus]

Yesterday's warning prompted local bodies to dredge channels and clear water-borne weeds to boost draining capacity.

Can I have first go?

How many times has this been done in the last three years?

This should be a painting the Forth Bridge exercise, you start at one end, work your way down and then repeat (sorry, it had the word work in it, silly me)

[ratcatcher]

"Yesterday's warning prompted local bodies to dredge channels and clear water-borne weeds to boost draining capacity."

Wasn't this supposed to have been done country wide as part of the B350bn flood prevention/water management scam scheme?

Edited October 12, 2013 by ratcatcher

[noitom]

The newspaper just keeps thrashing about publishing these calamity stories. Why don't they just send some professional reporters out in the country to get first hand information and reality news and photos?

[tomross46]

Phimai, is at risk from corrupt politicians, which caused the rapid release of water from the dams, instead of releasing the water over a period of time.

[siampolee]

The newspaper just keeps thrashing about publishing these calamity stories. Why don't they just send some professional reporters out in the country to get first hand information and reality news and photos?

Then no doubt we would see and find the newspapers and the journalist being threatened by assorted thugs along with being sued for speaking the truth and highlighting the governments total disregard and contempt for the people of Thailand.

Questions concerning the scams schemes to combat or contain or otherwise control the flooding would indeed fall upon deaf ears.

Yesterday's warning prompted local bodies to dredge channels and clear water-borne weeds to boost draining capacity.

Interesting to note that now it seems a dredging of the channels etc now seems to be underway.

Perhaps those in positions of power have had to offer a small token rebate on their commissions received regarding flood control scams schemes as a token gesture to show something is being done.

Seems the dredging scams schemes are a partial success as it would seem as if the roads to the banks are not flooded which has enabled the commission recipients to travel to the bank and authorize payments to those involved in the dredging exercise.

''Stable door now closed due to the horse having bolted.''

Edited October 13, 2013 by siampolee

[flyingdoc]

Phimai is a grossly underrated 'Jewel' in the Crown of Thai Tourism, being the smaller counterpart to Angkor Wat

over the border in Cambodia,,, yet is 100 years older than its neighbour. It must be protected at all costs !

[Sydebolle]

Outdated news. Banharn promised everything done within seven days (which were over a few days ago already) while the prime minister openly declared "guaranteed no floods". How pathetic and guess what? If there would be elections around the corner the same bunch would be reelected - again and again and again.
This is Thailand, leave it up to the Thais to struggle into the 21st century.

[Thai at Heart]

The newspaper just keeps thrashing about publishing these calamity stories. Why don't they just send some professional reporters out in the country to get first hand information and reality news and photos?

Then no doubt we would see and find the newspapers and the journalist being threatened by assorted thugs along with being sued for speaking the truth and highlighting the governments total disregard and contempt for the people of Thailand.

Questions concerning the scams schemes to combat or contain or otherwise control the flooding would indeed fall upon deaf ears.

Yesterday's warning prompted local bodies to dredge channels and clear water-borne weeds to boost draining capacity.

Interesting to note that now it seems a dredging of the channels etc now seems to be underway.

Perhaps those in positions of power have had to offer a small token rebate on their commissions received regarding flood control scams schemes as a token gesture to show something is being done.

Seems the dredging scams schemes are a partial success as it would seem as if the roads to the banks are not flooded which has enabled the commission recipients to travel to the bank and authorize payments to those involved in the dredging exercise.

''Stable door now closed due to the horse having bolted.''

In fairness water hyacinth does grow like mad, particularly when fed with extreme amounts of nitrogen from rice fertiliser.

[bentarm44]

I live 7km outside Phimai. Up to 2 weeks ago the mun river there, by the main road bridge, was choked by marine growth for up to 100meters.

Then army boys, assisted by on-holiday school children, started to drag the stuff out of the "main channel". The river has since overflowed its banks, flooding the police station and a health centre; as usual.

The big fear in Phimai is bad floods/press affecting the annual gravy train known as THE PHIMAI FESTIVAL; in early nov every year.

Incidentally, the best kept secret from that last year was a teenage boy using an M16 on full auto one evening to kill a rival teenager on the edge of town. That never got into the papers.

Anyway, over the last 2 days there's been no rain round here, and the flood water has only gone up a couple of cm.

The local rice farmers are trying to crop what they've got, up to their chests in the paddy.

I could mention the joke drainage schemes that were dug round here after 2010; and are now only serving to actually pipe the flood waters into my village (sigh); but wots the point?

Every one round here fully expects the water levels to continue to rise for a couple of weeks; to what extent seems to be of little interest.

Main interest is focused around how "bad" it needs to be before every one gets all those lovely free hand-outs like in 2010.

So far, all the major roads round here are still passable, but some people in my village already have 1m of water in their houses.

[h90]

The newspaper just keeps thrashing about publishing these calamity stories. Why don't they just send some professional reporters out in the country to get first hand information and reality news and photos?

WHAT?

They should leave Bangkok and go in some dirty province....no no no that won't happen...

[Hornell]

I have lived in Thailand for only 16 years, but long enough to appreciate the fact that particularly up-country Thais manage to cope with a pretty can do attitude, as they have done for centuries, with natural disaster; drought, floods and so on. What has become apparent to me over the last few years is that this resilience has been dented by the fact that they are now beginning to understand that many of these natural disasters are not natural at all, but rather man-made or at least man-exacerbated.

Take the current flooding in the Isaan as an example; between Khon Kaen and Korat there are hundreds of thousands of rai of rice paddy under water and yet it hasnt rained in the area for well over a week. The flooding is a direct result of the inexorable rise of water caused by the opening of dam gates to the north at the same time. Many roads, not just the Mitraparp, were constructed with precious few storm drains underneath them creating a network of dykes that prevents the floodwater finding its natural courses. Few road or dams were built with any environmental assessment; there appears to be no central control of water management throughout the country and unless Bangkok is threatened as last year no-one in Government gives much thought to the problem.

It is therefore scarcely surprising that the up-country peoples patience is wearing a bit thin. Will anything be done about it? Not a chance! Just the same as three years ago when the Isaan was far more badly flooded than now, one hears the same old platitudes, but nothing was then, is now or will be done and the poor old chao na will struggle on as usual losing over half his crop to government ineptitude.

[ratcatcher]

I have lived in Thailand for only 16 years, but long enough to appreciate the fact that particularly up-country Thais manage to cope with a pretty can do attitude, as they have done for centuries, with natural disaster; drought, floods and so on. What has become apparent to me over the last few years is that this resilience has been dented by the fact that they are now beginning to understand that many of these natural disasters are not natural at all, but rather man-made or at least man-exacerbated.

Take the current flooding in the Isaan as an example; between Khon Kaen and Korat there are hundreds of thousands of rai of rice paddy under water and yet it hasnt rained in the area for well over a week. The flooding is a direct result of the inexorable rise of water caused by the opening of dam gates to the north at the same time. Many roads, not just the Mitraparp, were constructed with precious few storm drains underneath them creating a network of dykes that prevents the floodwater finding its natural courses. Few road or dams were built with any environmental assessment; there appears to be no central control of water management throughout the country and unless Bangkok is threatened as last year no-one in Government gives much thought to the problem.

It is therefore scarcely surprising that the up-country peoples patience is wearing a bit thin. Will anything be done about it? Not a chance! Just the same as three years ago when the Isaan was far more badly flooded than now, one hears the same old platitudes, but nothing was then, is now or will be done and the poor old chao na will struggle on as usual losing over half his crop to government ineptitude.

An excellent post with good information........................BUT

"........ nothing was then, is now or will be done and the poor old chao na will struggle on as usual losing over half his crop to government ineptitude." And the poor old chao na will reelect the same inept government again and again and again. Bless 'em all!

[ResX]

Take the current flooding in the Isaan as an example; between Khon Kaen and Korat there are hundreds of thousands of rai of rice paddy under water and yet it hasnt rained in the area for well over a week. The flooding is a direct result of the inexorable rise of water caused by the opening of dam gates to the north at the same time.

If you read my old post, such poor dam water release strategy is one of the outcomes that I have predicted as early in in Nov 2011. In fact I have advised on of the TVF members in 2010 that his area should have been spared from flood that year as long as no sluice gate at the dams in north would have been opened. Why I could make such assessment owing the fact that I was 1000km++ from flood scene? Answer..I have no reasonably doubt to spare to conclude that water management authorities in Thailand were very unclear about how to go about to manage floods. They still are. I don't mean to be rude but just to be honest.

In one of my posts this year I have "predicted" that by 15th Nov 2013 this year Bhumibol and Sirkit dam will have the total unfilled reserve at least 2.5 billion cubic meters. Just to emphasize my point that excessive released by those two dams were a bit premature. I'm still holding that "prediction" even now. After 15th Nov, I supposed the Chao Pharaya rainfall density will be approaching normal.

One question that you may want to ask. How I can know the event that will take place almost 2 months in future? Answer, I don't. But that is the scenario I will draw if I'm the one who deal with floods in Thailand. Such scenario will influence the amount of discharges from dams that I have to make now. Obviously I should know what those dams are capable of doing to control floods. Bhumibol and Sirkit for example were designed to store their own flood waters all of them at least 49 years out of 50 years if their water levels are correctly regulated. So I actually made my "prediction" based on the worst flood scenario in 50 years for that dams. What happens is the flood is a kind of the worst flood scenario in 1000 years? If it happens now I will open the sluice gates to release only the margin of flood waters. The dams will be allowed to keep the amount of flood waters associated the biggest flood in 50 years. For example if the biggest in 50 years for Bhumibol is equivalent to 3billion cubic meters of rainfalls that fall in 7 days and the biggest flood in 1000 years is 4 billion cubic meters of rainfalls that fall in 7 days, then I release 1 billion cubic meters of water says in 7 days too. I will keep the remaining .3 billion cubic meters.

Sounds not that difficult right? Somehow water management authorities in Thailand are badly miss this crucial point. Poor Thailand... that THB 350 billion is not the substitution of the fundamental of flood as described above ....

[bentarm44]

Meanwhile, back in Phimai.........................

The Mun river level is slightly increased over the last 2 days, still not bad though; all main roads around and through town passable.

There was a couple of hours rain yesterday, but over night the slight flood water on the road round my house, and in my garden, has actually fallen by 5cm. A couple of days ago the bloke "in charge" said he would not open the gates on the full dam near Korat town, and would only allow excess run off, Again, this is probably mainly to protect Phimai from greater flooding (like 2010), and any potential threat to the upcoming festival/gravy train.

[bentarm44]

All change today.

Last night hours of heavy rain, plus thunder/lightening like I've not seen in a while. Thunder sounded like Concorde used to when it flew over Bristol.

Light bulbs have been changed.

Red alert in my village, 7km SE of Phimai. My house was built on an elevated platform of about 1.5m of soil in an ex paddy, and is now once again (like in 2010), an island.

Jazz has been moved to one of the highest parts of the village, that didn't get flooded in 2010.

This pm I biked into Phimai, and was slightly surprised to see very little change from 2 days ago; Mun river full and slightly overflowing.

Headman's recently been round to warn everyone that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Chat about hand outs increasing.

Dry at the moment.

Come on you Saints.

[bentarm44]

Light bulb now changed in Phimai Town; showing RED at the moment.

Now water rising 5-10 cm a day, main bus station and "Monday market" flooded to about 15cm.

Daily "night market" in centre of town the same, and traders have moved to higher ground adjacent to the market road.

Local warnings given today that on the 24th 3 dams in the Mun river flow complex will be opened.

I'm guessing this may be a throw of the dice to attempt Phimai drainage before the Festival preparations are due to start in about 10 days.

Heads will roll round here if the festival goes pear shaped; unless the appropriate sums of money are distributed adequately I guess.

[marcusd]

The newspaper just keeps thrashing about publishing these calamity stories. Why don't they just send some professional reporters out in the country to get first hand information and reality news and photos?

its not a newspaper its a sham.

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

[bentarm44]

Bingo, flood level in my village has reached hand out level.

Previous levels of tuff going rice harvesting relaxed, compensation soon.

Phimai experiencing daily overhead helicopter hovering.

This not inexpensive activity has had no noticeable affect in the rising Moon river.

The first mutterings about a delayed festival; due to start on the 6th nov.

Can only just get about on a Wave (sic) now.

Happy villagers, not so much in Phimai.