Chao Phraya walkway project: Activists threaten to sue Thai govt

[phoenixdoglover]

There was another article concerning the large unused railway property, and the argument over its future. Some people would like a park. Others would like to develop it into shopping centers and condos.

Considering the very low percentage of Bangkok land dedicated to green space, I'm siding with the park idea. But I don't think the majority of Thais care that much, as compared with their daily concerns for food, clothing and shelter.

"Redevelopment" of the riverside doesn't seem like an entirely bad idea. But channelizing and paving the riverside is not state-of-the-art. The "water expert" is a moron. Water management engineers know that smoothing and straightening a river in one section simply amplifies floods in the downstream reaches. Hey, people south of the paved section, we are so sorry.

The state-of-the-art is green space that is useful for recreation most of the time, and effective at attenuating floods when they occur. A flat paved surface, as shown in the artists rendering, may appeal to the "mall" crowd, but permeable surfaces make much more sense, and the slope of the land near the river is a critical consideration.

Anyway, I imagine the real estate developers have the upper hand, and they have plenty of friends in high places.

My compliments to the "activists" for having the courage to voice their opinions and to challenge the steamroller.

[trogers]

It's a walkway? Where does the environment come into it?!

What?

Walkway with landscape. But those who are allergic to fresh air would miss the smell of cesspools

[cumgranosalum]

It's a walkway? Where does the environment come into it?!

What?

Walkway with landscape. But those who are allergic to fresh air would miss the smell of cesspools

Such blinkered responses can only be the result of people being completely unaware of the issues surrounding the rivers channels and flows of a city like Bangkok, yet somehow still feel they are in a position to comment on it.

[Lupatria]

Oh no, Chao Phraya river would change too much. No more raw sewerage and cooked food to feed those fishes?

Clear water instead of the present murky brown?

This plan would not pass any EIA as the impact to its present state is too much.

Oh yes, and 'God Is A Real Estate Developer'?

[elgordo38]

Oh no, Chao Phraya river would change too much. No more raw sewerage and cooked food to feed those fishes?

Clear water instead of the present murky brown?

This plan would not pass any EIA as the impact to its present state is too much.

ou appear to be suggesting that the walkway would be a solution of the pollution of the river?

The climb up Mount Everest requires the first of many steps. If only we are heading the right direction.

ANd if you decide to build a Holiday Inn at the base of Mt. Everest. is this a step towards climbing it? Putting in a walkway along the river has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning it up.

The old adage "Build it and they will come" but if they come they do not want to wear masks. The river cleanup is more valuable than a walkway.

[quidnunc]

The climb up Mount Everest requires the first of many steps. If only we are heading the right direction.

ANd if you decide to build a Holiday Inn at the base of Mt. Everest. is this a step towards climbing it? Putting in a walkway along the river has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning it up.

Of course not! A clutter of outhouses along both sides of the river do...

A cursory search on the internet would show you that the Chao Phraya is being polluted by the untreated waste of millions of people and the industries in the Bangkok basin. A few thousand less slums feeding into it would make no useful difference at all. Of course it would gratify many of the posters here who seem to harbor a bizarre animus towards the poor.

[timmyp]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

[cumgranosalum]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

For heaven's sake, get up to speed on the issues surrounding the Chaopraya River delta before asking such naive questions.

[cumgranosalum]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

"Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience." - that'd be nice...and where do you see that in this project?

[Halion]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

Yes, lets have some progress and development.

Start with fixing the drains , roads, pavements. Improve on traffic flow and reduce the toxic emission levels of trucks ,lorry's and buses, many of which are in the government domain, and also the rampant industrial pollution in air ,soil and water discharges.

Pull down many of the inner city slums and replace them with tangible accommodation and not mega malls for the rich and influential 10 % .

Sorry, but better sanitation, safety and convenience are not part of the plan or for that mater the culture and have absolutely no influence in the provision of a scenic walkway along one of the most polluted waterways in one of the most polluted cities.

[cumgranosalum]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

Yes, lets have some progress and development.

Start with fixing the drains , roads, pavements. Improve on traffic flow and reduce the toxic emission levels of trucks ,lorry's and buses, many of which are in the government domain, and also the rampant industrial pollution in air ,soil and water discharges.

Pull down many of the inner city slums and replace them with tangible accommodation and not mega malls for the rich and influential 10 % .

Sorry, but better sanitation, safety and convenience are not part of the plan or for that mater the culture and have absolutely no influence in the provision of a scenic walkway along one of the most polluted waterways in one of the most polluted cities.

Agreed - like so many projects in Thailand it smacks of "all face and no substance"

[HerbalEd]

Why do schemes like this which have been debunked for decades still have appeal to governments in Thailand?

It's the graft!

[HerbalEd]

On the surface this plan seems like a good one and one I'd like to see happen. However, why don't the officials follow the law and go through the legal procedure? Given the Thai government officials' track record for greed, graft, bribery, etc., their unwillingness to do things legally seems suspect to me. There's actually a good reason why these regulatory procedures were developed and required ... so why not follow them?

[empireboy]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

only 2.5 meters high?

Global warming with the higher sea level will soon bury the walkways!

Really? EXACTLY how "soon" will the walkways be buried?

[empireboy]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

"Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience." - that'd be nice...and where do you see that in this project?

Hard to imagine they could make it worse than last time I walked down that way, which was a couple of years ago I must admit... but maybe you disagree?

[HerbalEd]

14 billion for 14 kilometers? Isn't that a bit pricey? Like 1 million per metre?

Not pricey when the budget includes relocating slums.

Relocated or cleared??...and where are they relocated? Who qualifies? ...and will the services provided by these "slums" be lost?

All those questions would have to be addressed if there were the legally-required public hearings and disclosures. Thus, the reason they're bypassing the legalities and railroading the project.

[trogers]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

only 2.5 meters high?

Global warming with the higher sea level will soon bury the walkways!

Really? EXACTLY how "soon" will the walkways be buried?

At the same time London has a super Thames.

[cumgranosalum]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

only 2.5 meters high?

Global warming with the higher sea level will soon bury the walkways!

Really? EXACTLY how "soon" will the walkways be buried?

still waiting for youtr theories on sanitation.

PS - If you allow water to drain out of Bkk faster then the land around will lose its water content and sink even faster.......

[HerbalEd]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

For heaven's sake, get up to speed on the issues surrounding the Chaopraya River delta before asking such naive questions.

Don't be such a snob. Maybe the guy is trying to get up to speed by asking the questions. But, then again, maybe not.

[trogers]

Oh dear why do some people hate it when they clean up and beautify/modernise things?

Progress in a big city generally comes at the cost of better sanitation, safety, and convenience.

only 2.5 meters high?

Global warming with the higher sea level will soon bury the walkways!

Really? EXACTLY how "soon" will the walkways be buried?

still waiting for youtr theories on sanitation.

PS - If you allow water to drain out of Bkk faster then the land around will lose its water content and sink even faster.......

I think you meant 'shrink'...

[trogers]

14 billion for 14 kilometers? Isn't that a bit pricey? Like 1 million per metre?

Not pricey when the budget includes relocating slums.

Relocated or cleared??...and where are they relocated? Who qualifies? ...and will the services provided by these "slums" be lost?

All those questions would have to be addressed if there were the legally-required public hearings and disclosures. Thus, the reason they're bypassing the legalities and railroading the project.

I am sure my chanote would entitle me fair compensation from taxpayer's money...

[wvavin]

I certainly think that this 14 billion baht should be used to provide compensation for the removal of all the current teachers and engage real & capable teachers to shove up the forever failing education of Thailand!

[cumgranosalum]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

For heaven's sake, get up to speed on the issues surrounding the Chaopraya River delta before asking such naive questions.

Don't be such a snob. Maybe the guy is trying to get up to speed by asking the questions. But, then again, maybe not.

IMO, if you are going to write on a thread it helps if you know something about what you are writing......... we are all capable of finding out the lements about a topic without making inane or naive posts asking questions that are in effect a prerequisite of posting.

[cumgranosalum]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

For heaven's sake, get up to speed on the issues surrounding the Chaopraya River delta before asking such naive questions.

Don't be such a snob. Maybe the guy is trying to get up to speed by asking the questions. But, then again, maybe not.

IMO, if you are going to write on a thread it helps if you know something about what you are writing......... we are all capable of finding out the elements about a topic without making inane or naive posts asking questions that are in effect a prerequisite of posting.

it does however illustrate how projects like this can still get off the ground due to the profound ignorance of the general public.

[cumgranosalum]

I certainly think that this 14 billion baht should be used to provide compensation for the removal of all the current teachers and engage real & capable teachers to shove up the forever failing education of Thailand!

Clearly maths and reasoning were not subjects you paid any attention to at school.

[jaiyen]

If they do actually build the walkway you can bet it would soon be full of food carts, beggars, motor bikes etc. The same old mess as on the road footpaths. The Thai way is if you can walk on it we can set up shop on it.

[trogers]

If they do actually build the walkway you can bet it would soon be full of food carts, beggars, motor bikes etc. The same old mess as on the road footpaths. The Thai way is if you can walk on it we can set up shop on it.

Would depend of the will of future politicians in the BMA and the govt. If they are for vote buying, sure.

But you can walk inside a few public parks and no food carts to be seen.

[HerbalEd]

I'm intrigued by this. How would building a walkway be any worse than what is there now? Are there seriously environmental risks, or is this a business interest masking as something with a greater purpose?

For heaven's sake, get up to speed on the issues surrounding the Chaopraya River delta before asking such naive questions.

Don't be such a snob. Maybe the guy is trying to get up to speed by asking the questions. But, then again, maybe not.

IMO, if you are going to write on a thread it helps if you know something about what you are writing......... we are all capable of finding out the lements about a topic without making inane or naive posts asking questions that are in effect a prerequisite of posting.

Not everyone knows about the subject of a thread but I think they should still be able to participates if they genuinely want to learn about the subject ... and, in fact, the poster did ask two questions. However, I'll concede that perhaps(?) his questions were rhetorical ... i.e., statements posing as questions.

Anyway, I definitely agree that way too many posters on tv.com pretend to know what they're talking about and make outlandish posts with ignorant, fact-less and delusional statements that are distracting to the subject at hand and a waste of time to read.

[AleG]

Oh no, Chao Phraya river would change too much. No more raw sewerage and cooked food to feed those fishes?

Clear water instead of the present murky brown?

This plan would not pass any EIA as the impact to its present state is too much.

ou appear to be suggesting that the walkway would be a solution of the pollution of the river?

Perhaps not directly, but Bangkok has grown with its back turned toward its waterways for too long, a project like this may very well be a starting point to change that and promote a better management and use of the rivers and canals in the city.

In any case as it is now there is little to get worked up about the riverside, some restaurants, hotels and endless strips of dilapidated piers and crumbling structures; the "environment" doesn't get into it, and it's reflected in the OP by the people opposing this talking about communities and historical sites, not ecological matters.

[green job]

God forbid they try to anything to make the place nice. As of now, I'm not sure who would want to take an after dinner stroll along the river. You might lose it after you see your 100 bloated rat, dog, cat, or human body parts floating next to the wall. They will have to clean up the river first before people will come to see it.

The worst load of bullxxxt ever posted, The river is clean,much cleaner than many EU rivers,, It has a colored sediment caused by the soil from the many

provences it flowes through

Make the place nice!!!??? are you out of your mind? Just take a look at what they have done to Singapore.