Severe flooding in several northern Thai provinces after heavy downpours

[sawadee1947]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

yes, you are right. The former government got already plans ready to improve drainage problems. Now it's all on hold....Building new police stations are more important...

[IAMHERE]

The problem with flooding several years ago was that water tended to flow downhill. Has Thailand fixed that yet ? If not, Bangkok is downhill still.

[duanebigsby]

There are a couple of big overflow channels to ease the MaeKok river's overflow in Chiang rai city.

Before rainy season there were a number of big diggers dredging and enlarging these channels.

When I see the river's level now, I'm glad they did that.

So not everyone in Thailand is inept .

Edited September 1, 2014 by duanebigsby

[shadmo63]

 

doublephil, on 01 Sept 2014 - 09:54, said:

I often wonder who writes these articles and whether they have any real knowledge. They always make it sound much worse than it really was.

 

I travelled extensively through northern Chiang Mai province - Mae Taeng-Chiang Dao-Fang districts and Chiang Rai province - Mae Suay-Mae Lao-Meuang-Mae Chan-Mae Sai districts over the weekend by car - and only encountered a bit of light rain here and there on Saturday - though there was some heavy rain on Saturday night - and Sunday was quite hot and sunny - and no evidence of flooding anywhere except some local flooding in Mae Suay district of Chiang Rai from heavy rain on Friday

 

The level of the River Ping in Chiang Mai is slightly higher this morning than it was yesterday by a few centimeters - but nowhere near the levels required to cause any general flooding. Some low lying areas in the city do suffer temporary flooding due to local drainage problems when there is heavy and/or persistent rain - but that happens in lots of places around the country - or around the world for that matter

 

Agreed, drove from Muang Chiang Rai to CNX airport yesterday (Sunday) lunchtime in good time of 2.5 hours. Had about 5-10 minutes of light rain close to Chiang Mai. Roads were all dry and encountered no standing water anywhere. 

[zaphod reborn]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

I will repeat myself only once a year, but here goes, as a resident of Chiang Mai for 37 years the only government ever to spend any money for Chiang Mai infrastructure was Taksin, so what you want no one no body no government ever spend money in the North or the North east, period

This is such a large part of the political problem here. Nobody prior to Thaksin ever did ANYTHING to benefit the masses. They just devised policy to ensure their super rich friends only got richer. Thaksin was the first PM to establish populist policies, and to pay attention to the poorer elements of society. It was a brilliant idea. I doubt it came from his rather small heart, but it was a stroke of genius. I did not like the guy, but he was clever. Will Thailand ever see another politician that either gives a damn, or at least creates policy to benefit the masses? One can only hope. I doubt there will be peace and harmony until that happens.

I don't think that Thaksin's flat-screen TV sets and air conditioning units are going to help relieve the flooding. Nor would his medical care payment system which is on the verge of a collapse.

Posters here make it sound like there are only two political parties in Thai politics. There are enough people in the north and Isaan to form a political party that would really take on the difficult issues facing these regions. Instead, they vote for the politicians who send the most trinkets their way.

Yingluck had 3 years to implement flood control measures for her constituency. The only project I'm aware she completed in the north was to push through the development of shopping centers. It's been the history of Thai politics that the elected officials only initiate public-improvement projects from which they and their major backers will financially profit. In this regard,Thaksin and Yingluck were no better than anyone else serving as PM.

[loongdavid]

The phrase you'll never hear spoken in Thailand......... What if ?

[Jim walker]

Once the high speed train is up and running everyone will be able to escape the floods at high speed, getting the priorities done first that’s the main thing.

[Lupatria]

Water runs down hill, more water runs off more quickly when forests and brush areas are made farms or more so when made houses and roads and markets. Nothing new or mysterious or "act of god" about this. Nothing that cannot be predicted. Engineers can calculate and drainage can be designed, I have done it scores of times. But someone has to spend money and plan ahead, and this is Thailand, so you know where that goes.

But someone has to spend money

Sorry, the money was spent already on mock 'religious ceremonies' to appease the 'evil spirits' that caused the problems

[kannot]

Water runs down hill, more water runs off more quickly when forests and brush areas are made farms or more so when made houses and roads and markets. Nothing new or mysterious or "act of god" about this. Nothing that cannot be predicted. Engineers can calculate and drainage can be designed, I have done it scores of times. But someone has to spend money and plan ahead, and this is Thailand, so you know where that goes.

But someone has to spend money

Sorry, the money was spent already on mock 'religious ceremonies' to appease the 'evil spirits' that caused the problems

mock ceremonies, mock spirits..... but real problems, yet still they "believe"

[icare999]

see what happens when Army take over this would never happen under Taksins government because they cared for common people and if Suphet had not stopped them governing they would have prepared ready for this years rains.

Thats what I'm sorry to say poor believe

and i even heard at a red shirt rally the speaker blaming last Dem government for rise in price of gold and when Taksin came back gold would be a much lower price and so all could afford it.

Apart from anything else Taksins government gave 1 millin (i think it was raised to 2 million after last election) to all villager heads for community projects and of course it was not a bribe and moneys were wisely spent on pick ups, mobiles and rest for village administrators

I think Army should stagy in control for at least 10-20 years since sorry poor are just to uneducated and gullible to deserve a vote

[icare999]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

yes, you are right. The former government got already plans ready to improve drainage problems. Now it's all on hold....Building new police stations are more important...

nonsense plans plans plans but nothing done they had years to do something so your talking crap

[loongdavid]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

I will repeat myself only once a year, but here goes, as a resident of Chiang Mai for 37 years the only government ever to spend any money for Chiang Mai infrastructure was Taksin, so what you want no one no body no government ever spend money in the North or the North east, period

I guess that's understandable given that Taksin's power base was/is Chiang Mai and the north. One can find very similar instances of preferential wealth distribution amongst every democratically elected government in the world, and some. As someone recently said the only way to fix the problem of pork barrelling is from the bottom up. not the top down.

All this past dry season I have been telling anyone who would listen within the local Amphoe to clean the drains etc. Nothing, repeat nothing was ever done.

[laobali]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

Really? How glib. Shows real understanding of Thailand and its politics.

[laobali]

The need to think ahead and act appropriately is in the first instance a problem created by lack of education... We can talk all you want in a critical manner about Thailand is "mi pen li" attitude, but I think they can only be changed by changing the mindset, and that is an education issue in the first instance if we really want to see long-term change in Thailand.

But who educates the educators?

[laobali]

Sad that most only live for today without planning for tomorrow.

Thailand and planing? I don't think there is a connection

The only planning is for personal profit.

[loongdavid]

The need to think ahead and act appropriately is in the first instance a problem created by lack of education... We can talk all you want in a critical manner about Thailand is "mi pen li" attitude, but I think they can only be changed by changing the mindset, and that is an education issue in the first instance if we really want to see long-term change in Thailand.

But who educates the educators?

EXACTLY !

[laobali]

Sad that most only live for today without planning for tomorrow.

Thailand and planing? I don't think there is a connection

they did plan a few years ago, they bought a hovercraft for 25 million baht for to help where has this gone?

Hovering overhead, wondering where to start?

[laobali]

Only themselves to blame. They could have voted in a government that would improve drainage instead of building shopping malls.

I will repeat myself only once a year, but here goes, as a resident of Chiang Mai for 37 years the only government ever to spend any money for Chiang Mai infrastructure was Taksin, so what you want no one no body no government ever spend money in the North or the North east, period

I guess that's understandable given that Taksin's power base was/is Chiang Mai and the north. One can find very similar instances of preferential wealth distribution amongst every democratically elected government in the world, and some. As someone recently said the only way to fix the problem of pork barrelling is from the bottom up. not the top down.

All this past dry season I have been telling anyone who would listen within the local Amphoe to clean the drains etc. Nothing, repeat nothing was ever done.

But there's no flooding in the dry season!

[yasmarbi]

Sad that most only live for today without planning for tomorrow.

Thailand and planing? I don't think there is a connection

they did plan a few years ago, they bought a hovercraft for 25 million baht for to help where has this gone?

Hovering overhead, wondering where to start?

It may not be the map but it is the territory

[NativeSon360]

Sad that most only live for today without planning for tomorrow.

That is the way of the Theravada based culture. It will not change, regardless of whatever natural disasters occur. You'd wonder why, after 2,557 years (before both the Greek & Roman Empires existed) this culture has failed to mature, beyond the adolescent level of development. I did not come to Thailand to teach. I came here to learn, from a culture that is three Milleniums_senior to the oldest culture of the western world

[NativeSon360]

Even though it was beautiful yesterday, the Ing River and various local streams were meandering about completely disregarding their accepted boundaries. Farmland and small parks were under a chocolate hued torrent of water. Regardless people were out fishing in the floodwaters. The water was nearly touching the bottom of the bridges. Access to some local villages was cut off because of flooded sois.

[NativeSon360]

Even though it was beautiful yesterday, the Ing River and various local streams were meandering about completely disregarding their accepted boundaries. Farmland and small parks were under a chocolate hued torrent of water. Regardless people were out fishing in the floodwaters. The water was nearly touching the bottom of the bridges. Access to some local villages was cut off because of flooded sois.

Fantastic photographic acuity.

[Johpa]

I will repeat myself only once a year, but here goes, as a resident of Chiang Mai for 37 years the only government ever to spend any money for Chiang Mai infrastructure was Taksin, so what you want no one no body no government ever spend money in the North or the North east, period

That is an exaggeration. The government has spent a great deal in transit infrastructure over the past several decades in Chiang Mai.

The problem with the rains at this time of year is that they are heavily localized, especially up in the mountains where local topography can generate tremendous amounts of precipitation that eventually flows into the Ping or other major drainage basins such as the Kok.

[Ayemanomad]

I don't think hovercraft can hover overhead, laoalbi, unless I've missed that invention.