South Pattaya canal clearance hits setback

PATTAYA:--Clearing South Pattaya’s storm-drainage canal of all its obstructions will be slower and more complicated than expected, as area officials have discovered that more than 25 large commercial buildings are encroaching on public land near Walking Street.

Following a May 8 announcement by Pattaya Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay that half of the canal had been recovered, Banglamung District Chief Sakchai Taengho did his own inspection May 14, discovering another collection of buildings near the Soho Square section of Walking Street were also built over the waterway. Even worse, every one of the 30 buildings in the neighborhood were dumping untreated sewage and wastewater into the canal, which feeds directly into Pattaya Bay.

In reaction, Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay returned to the site the next day with Engineering and Public Health department workers who mapped out the area, even painting a line showing the border of the public canal zone. Parts of 90 percent of the 30 buildings were built over the line, if not the waterway itself. - See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/south-pattaya-canal-clearance-hits-setback-37776#sthash.kOiymFsV.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2014-05-23

I am sure when the RTN occupy city hall things will start to happen, a few RTN demolition teams will make short work of the offending buildings.

I have seen this canal up close.

It is truly disgusting . please note that just about every town on the eastern seaboard has these types of canals feeding directly I to the sea with no treatment.

And u wonder why I won't swim down there.

area officials have discovered that more than 25 large commercial buildings are encroaching on public land near Walking Street.

And they discovered that just now ?

Half of Pattaya is built encroaching public land one way or another.

I see no problem with removing buildings that are built illegally, or dumping raw sewage into the canal. Just demolish the building, let the owner do a little time in Bangkok Hilton, and any city officials that should have done an inspection, go looking for a new job. You can educate people by paying a hefty fine, and doing some time. As long as they can get away with paying bribes, then they will build anywhere. Only jail time, will get people to understand the law. Of course that is utopia.

I have seen this canal up close.

It is truly disgusting . please note that just about every town on the eastern seaboard has these types of canals feeding directly I to the sea with no treatment.

And u wonder why I won't swim down there.

These canals are storm drains for run off during storms to prevent flooding...

Problem is some people can not tell the difference between sewage and stagnant water.

If people or businesses are dumping sewage or other wast in them then they should be prosecuted.

Ideally it would be nice to put screens in to the flow to hold back the rubbish that is washed down with the storm water, but it will just flood over the screens.

Edited May 24, 201412 yr by Basil B

I see no problem with removing buildings that are built illegally, or dumping raw sewage into the canal. Just demolish the building, let the owner do a little time in Bangkok Hilton, and any city officials that should have done an inspection, go looking for a new job. You can educate people by paying a hefty fine, and doing some time. As long as they can get away with paying bribes, then they will build anywhere. Only jail time, will get people to understand the law. Of course that is utopia.

Yes, that is utopia, though you've offered a fine, and no doubt enjoyable, keyboard warrior solution.

We're talking 25 large commercial buildings. They ain't gonna be demolished. Best to hope for now (just a hope) is that the city forces an end to the sewage dumping and collects fines and rent to use in cleaning up the canal.

Oh yes. The Venice of the East.

OMG, just remembered View Talay 7, maybe City Hall will suddenly have amnesia and forget they had all those brown envelopes and now know where to find someone who measure the distance to the sea accurately.