Bangkok:- Can Bangkok return to its old reputation as the Venice of the East with clear, beautiful canals coming back as major parts of people’s lives?

Prime Minister Prayut Jan-ocha has lately expressed keen interest in reviving more of the Thai capital’s canals as transportation routes. If canals spring back as major transportation channels, trade and houses can be expected to blossom along the way too.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, however, has made clear that the prime minister’s initiative may be possible during just some periods of the year.

“Canals definitely cannot be transportation routes 365 days a year,” he says on his Facebook.

He explains that Bangkok’s canals are now key tools in water drainage system. To lower flood risks, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) needs to lower water level in the canals significantly ahead of the arrival of run-off water from upriver zones.

When the water level runs low, boats will find it difficult to cruise around the canals.

But during the 18-day Floating Market event along a portion of the Phadung Krungkasem Canal, which the BMA organized in response to Prayut’s initiative between February 12 and March 1, it becomes quite clear that quite many Bangkok people would travel along the canals if efficient water transportation system was available.

During the event, 12 BMA-owned boats had offered up to 5,000 rides. Each boat carried about 20 passengers per ride.

If it moves -in a crazy tectonic plate movement- far up north, it might end up at East Venice.

Until than, it should settle to be "the East's Venice" or "the Venice of the East"...

Let's see what happens in the next (by locals usually completely unexpected) monsoon season. Well, if not Venice, how about Atlantis?

I went on a canal ( Sewer ) ride once

Some were worried about drowning

I thought drowning to be a more pleasant way to go after swallowing the liquid that passed as water

I cant see locals changing the way they dispose of rubbish or effluent

Uncle Too pondered:

Can we go back in time and revive more of the Thai capital’s canals as transportation routes?

BMA responded:

No. You silly fool.

Canals definitely cannot be transportation routes 365 days a year.

Dissapointed, Uncle Too offered:

If canals spring back as major transportation channels, trade and houses can be expected to blossom along the way too!

And therein lies the moral of the story kids.

I didn't really want to say up front we were evicting the poor people from the canals so that my HiSo friends can "develop" them, Uncle Too continued.

Please, “Love me just a little, but love me for long time…”

Uncle Too smiled his lizard grin, waved and went back to dream of his reactionary "reality".

Edited March 5, 201511 yr by iReason

Clear and beautiful? No way. Not without massive re-education efforts. All you gotta do is stand along a populated area of those canals and/or the river and watch how much trash- among other things- people throw in there.

Install a few traffic lights first so people stop dying all over the place!!! idiots!!!!!!!!

The Dutch oredy had those floating houses quite a number of years dee.. These lakeside houses can rise as high as 18 feet, sliding up and down around iron pillars driven deep into the ground. They FLOAT...

Why the study now?.. They shud just implement them and not waste time testing..

Why not !!!! it sounds so wonderful. Have they been reading Obama's play book or what. just say anything that feels good, people will love you.

This has been such an uplifting day, we are going to spray water on the smoke in the north and the rivers will clean themselves with the water we spray. WHAT THE HELL !!!!!!!!

".... clear, beautiful canals..." ---

would that be the Venetian casino in Macau? Because it doesn't sound like the Venice I know. In fact, the real reason Bangkok is called the venice of the east is because of their dirty stinking waterways.

Has anyone ever seen the canal near the market that gave Khlong Toey the name? To call it a floating dump site would be an understatement.

It is a great idea

Too bad the canals smell worse than post somtum dump

San Saeb canal is heavily used but the smell is dusgusting

Perosnally I would not go on a boat thru the shit that is floating in most canals here

The correct term would surely be "navigable sewers?"

Idiotic article, of course not as it concreted over most klongs in the 60's and 70's. On the east side of course. There maybe be something in this idea on the west side of Bkk and samut prakan, on the east no, apart from what little remains, and that is filthy and unpleasant of course.

Edited March 5, 201511 yr by dragonfly94

Sure does seem to have his fingers in lots of pies these days. Seems to be in no hurry to get on with returning happiness and elected government to the people (isn't that rationale given for that coup. Remember that coup?). Like a slow boat to China...

The words of Uncle Too, "I'm a funny guy"