Heavy rain brings more floods to Phuket

[webfact]

Heavy rain brings more floods to Phuket
Darawan Naknakhon



PHUKET: -- Heavy rain at lunchtime today (August 25) caused flooding in a variety of places across the island, with the worst, predictably, being in Patong.

There, parts of Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, Sai Nam Yen Rd and Phang Muang Sai Kor Rd were flooded to 50cm or more.

Elsewhere, there was heavy flooding along Phra Phuket Kaew Rd between Tesco-Lotus bypass and Kathu, and on parts of Thepkrasattri Rd.

Pumps installed temporarily in the underpass at Central Festival, which has been in use for a week for northbound traffic were reported to be keeping up with the water, but a bus whose driver drove it off the edge of the road just north of the Tesco intersection did nothing to help. That obstacle has in since been cleared away.

In Kata a reader reported that there had been no rain at all.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/heavy-rain-brings-more-floods-to-phuket-48034.php


-- Phuket News 2014-08-25

[Bulldozer Dawn]

The photo doesn't look like it was taken in a world class tourist destination does it.

Phuket...first world aspirations....third world infrastructure...

[JetsetBkk]

Nice and dry in southern Rawai. (Was flooded in Chalong, yesterday.)

I guess I'd better get ready for the rain as the wind is coming from the west.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Stay tuned for Cholera...

[HeijoshinCool]

Looks like my moving sale is postponed again ….

[JetsetBkk]

The photo doesn't look like it was taken in a world class tourist destination does it.

Phuket...first world aspirations....third world infrastructure...

And definitely third world bus drivers:

[JetsetBkk]

Nice and dry in southern Rawai. (Was flooded in Chalong, yesterday.)

I guess I'd better get ready for the rain as the wind is coming from the west.

And here it comes, and there goes the electric.

Come on, you cheap Chinese transformers, just for once in your lives stay waterproof!

[LivinginKata]

Not so much rain out at Kata. Even in Patong it only rained hard for an hour. I am quite surprised at those images.

[NomadJoe]

Mostly dry in Chalong. Some light mist in around lunch, but defiantly big clouds towards Patong.

I don't think anyone is surprised about the flooding. Each year it just gets displaced by new construction. Now that Peang Muang road and all the adjoining properties have been raised, the water has no where else to go. Which official was at that claimed a year ago there would be no more flooding in Patong? This is the 3rd time in 2 weeks I am aware of the Patong police station being flooded.

[NomadJoe]

The photo doesn't look like it was taken in a world class tourist destination does it.

Phuket...first world aspirations....third world infrastructure...

And definitely third world bus drivers:

No no, expert driver. It's hard to tell in the photo, but actually he is doing 70kph and using the banked roadway to make the turn.

[JetsetBkk]

The photo doesn't look like it was taken in a world class tourist destination does it.

Phuket...first world aspirations....third world infrastructure...

And definitely third world bus drivers:

No no, expert driver. It's hard to tell in the photo, but actually he is doing 70kph and using the banked roadway to make the turn.

Perhaps we could recommend some new signage to the Phuket Highway Dept.? ....

.

[JetsetBkk]

And with the rain comes... the loss of TV signal. Rawai cable office: "mai mee poweeeer", so the cable is out!

So does this mean all of Rawai's cable system goes thought that little office in Rawai, close to The Islander bar?

And they have no electricity backup? Or maybe they do and the battery has run out.

Oh dear, oh dear!

[LivinginKata]

And with the rain comes... the loss of TV signal. Rawai cable office: "mai mee poweeeer", so the cable is out!

So does this mean all of Rawai's cable system goes thought that little office in Rawai, close to The Islander bar?

And they have no electricity backup? Or maybe they do and the battery has run out.

Oh dear, oh dear!

Cable is out in Kata via Karon cable. All cable services around the Island come from Phuket Tv company in Phuket Town. Thank goodness for internet TV. I am watching that right now.

[SOTIRIOS]

....seems like a 'lost cause'....how can anyone have fun in such a place......

[eezergood]

....seems like a 'lost cause'....how can anyone have fun in such a place......

how can you not???????

[xylophone]

Not so much rain out at Kata. Even in Patong it only rained hard for an hour. I am quite surprised at those images.

I was in Starbucks at the back of Jungceylon when the downpour came and the road was a mess........surging water up to the hips in places, existing holes in the road made much bigger, traffic jammed solid and the same in Rat-U-Thid road.

Quite how the so called "planners/engineers" have contrived to put in more and larger drains, yet still have managed to stuff it up completely, is beyond my comprehension.

It is a joke; no it is beyond a joke, it is pitiful/awful/dreadful and will surely help to put off the newly discovered "cheap-end Chinese tourist" from coming again, and they are supposed to be the "spending saviours" for Patong.......Yeah right!

PS. Couldn't help but smile when the Police Station carpark and ground floor were flooded for the third time. Seems like karma when the local graft perpetrators themselves become the victims of graft!

[eezergood]

That road is cursed!

[jocko]

Not so much rain out at Kata. Even in Patong it only rained hard for an hour. I am quite surprised at those images.

I was in Starbucks at the back of Jungceylon when the downpour came and the road was a mess........surging water up to the hips in places, existing holes in the road made much bigger, traffic jammed solid and the same in Rat-U-Thid road.

Quite how the so called "planners/engineers" have contrived to put in more and larger drains, yet still have managed to stuff it up completely, is beyond my comprehension.

It is a joke; no it is beyond a joke, it is pitiful/awful/dreadful and will surely help to put off the newly discovered "cheap-end Chinese tourist" from coming again, and they are supposed to be the "spending saviours" for Patong.......Yeah right!

PS. Couldn't help but smile when the Police Station carpark and ground floor were flooded for the third time. Seems like karma when the local graft perpetrators themselves become the victims of graft!(quote)

I think the concrete segment's drains they put in would take the water away it must be backing up from a bottelneck at the end but as you say it's a joke.

You can hardly call it a road.

[eezergood]

They just pour excess concrete down the man holes, same with rubble........

[KarenBravo]

Whether the water drains away in Patong, or, doesn't depends on the state of the tide at the time.

Even with the best drainage system in the world, the water cannot drain away at high tide. this is because there is insufficient distance between where you are trying to drain water from and the sea..

Edited August 27, 2014 by KarenBravo

[KarenBravo]

In addition to my post above.

All the land between the front of Jungceylon and the Sai Nam Yen - Nanai road used to be disused paddy fields. This used to be a natural drainage area and flooding in Patong was rare. If the paddy fields got water-logged, the limited drainage system was still enough to drain the excess water to the klong at the southern end of Patong.

The flooding in Patong is unfixable due to the loss of hundreds of rai of natural drainage ground and Patong's proximity to the sea.

[LivinginKata]

In addition to my post above.

All the land between the front of Jungceylon and the Sai Nam Yen - Nanai road used to be disused paddy fields. This used to be a natural drainage area and flooding in Patong was rare. If the paddy fields got water-logged, the limited drainage system was still enough to drain the excess water to the klong at the southern end of Patong.

The flooding in Patong is unfixable due to the loss of hundreds of rai of natural drainage ground and Patong's proximity to the sea.

Exactly correct. I well remember the large open area between Nanai and the 2nd road.All disused paddy fields and allowed some of the rain water to seep into the ground. Now it's almost all a concrete jungle with inadequate drains.

[andreandre]

That road is cursed!

Yes and the curse is incompetence,,,and a touch of corruption..

[Guest]

Whether the water drains away in Patong, or, doesn't depends on the state of the tide at the time.

Even with the best drainage system in the world, the water cannot drain away at high tide. this is because there is insufficient distance between where you are trying to drain water from and the sea..

I don't understand above. Liquids flow from higher levels to lower levels when allowed to flow freely.

Although the high tide decreases the altitude gradient, still the water should flow downwards even a bit slower. Distance should only decrease the flow as there is more drag.

Are the underground drainages below the high tide level of the sea?

[LivinginKata]

Whether the water drains away in Patong, or, doesn't depends on the state of the tide at the time.

Even with the best drainage system in the world, the water cannot drain away at high tide. this is because there is insufficient distance between where you are trying to drain water from and the sea..

I don't understand above. Liquids flow from higher levels to lower levels when allowed to flow freely.

Although the high tide decreases the altitude gradient, still the water should flow downwards even a bit slower. Distance should only decrease the flow as there is more drag.

Are the underground drainages below the high tide level of the sea?

Yes, but it will flow slower if the height gradient is less. Interesting point about how high (or low) the drains are at high water. Just from my observations it must be quite close.

[KarenBravo]

I would say most of the land on the Patong plain is at a couple of metres above MSL. The drains are lower than this. Very small gradient.

In fact, at very high tides, sea-water flows up the klong and I'm sure, into the drainage system.

If the area to be drained is a long way from the sea, there is a greater area for over-flow and absorption and tidal state will have minimal effect.

As the distance from area to be drained to sea is very short in Patong, the tidal state affects Patong strongly.

[Guest]

I understand what you mean now. Then to get the water out from the higher ground would require that the drainage pipes have to come directly from the higher ground to the sea without having drainage openings on the way (which would overflow otherwise).

[jocko]

Good points made about levels time to bring the Dutch into the pool.

[eezergood]

If it were only the first time we have read this thread I would be surprised, but............

[stevenl]

Yes, not the first and won't be the last time.

But it is the first time I recall seeing comments 'illegal buildings are blocking the drains' 'building permits given for buildings that are blocking', so it looks to me that finally they are recognising a problem and looking for some causes and solutions.