10 new bridges to span Chao Phraya

[SunsetT]

I would think that more bridges = more impedance of natural river flow = slower drainage = More flooding in Bangkok & environs.

[German Viking]

Impressive construction projects!! Well done!!

But with chinese steel unfortunately.

I can wait for the collapse!

[German Viking]

I hope that's a very old photograph, or else Somchai is trying to pull a fast one saying he has nearly finished the bridge.

We can not be sure about these, caused the Thais having another sence of optimism as farang have.

[rametindallas]

Can anyone explain why the Chao Praya is "mighty"?

It's a misprint for "filthy"

It's not polluted unless you call muddy silt from farm runoff pollution. It's the same with many/most long/large rivers.

[culicine]

Can anyone explain why the Chao Praya is "mighty"?

A father of a friend once referred to the Leichardt River in Queensland as "mighty" When we were there it was full of flies and dry as a bone, like it is most days of the year hehe. At least the CP has water in it.

[culicine]

This is cool....many more places to park our cars during the next great flood:)

[boomerangutang]

There's a small river up here on the Thai/Myanmar border called the Mae Sai. If you look at the concrete bridge crossing it on any one of 360 days of the year, it looks well nigh above water level. However, for a few days each year, the water rises up 5 to 6 meters to where it nearly flows over the bridge. Dozens of shops and restaurants nearby have their ground floors full of brown water up to ceilings.

Compared to Bangkok, there are some different dynamics at play. Chao Praya is obviously a lot bigger, but it empties in to a sea. Indeed sea water backwashes many miles up the Chao Praya, along its course through Bangkok, during any high tide. Similar to how all roads in Thai suburbs are walled roads, so too, the Chao Praya is a walled river for many miles. A 7 inch thick wall, 50 miles long is going to have a tough time keeping out a swollen river AND a sea high tide concurrently. Maybe large swaths of Bangkok won't have 1 to 2 meters of standing water in the near future ....for weeks on end, ....but then again, maybe it will. What are the odds? Investing big money in Bangkok, whether in infrastructure or condos, seems nutzoid, for anyone who wants their investments to stay viable for decades.

Is there at least a partial solution? Yes. Instead of continuing to pour trillions of baht in to Bangkok, ....start implementing plans to move to higher ground. The entire city's functions don't need to move to one other spot (Buddha forbid). There can be satellite cities specializing in: Universities, manufacturing, Sangha/royalty, bureaucracy, etc. Belize moved its capital inland to Belmopan (less hirricane danger), Myanmar moved its capital inland from Yangon, after Nargis. ...and there are other similar incidents of that happening.