webfact Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 BANGKOKGovernor under fire as rains bring city to a standstillTanatpong Kongsai,Supachai PhetteweeThe NationBANGKOK: - PRESSURE IS building on Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra after millions of commuters in the capital suffered a traffic nightmare due to flooded roads yesterday morning.In addition to loud complaints on social media, the Stop Global Warming Association also called for Sukhumbhand to be sacked.The association issued a statement demanding the removal of Sukhumbhand, other executives at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and district office directors responsible for the city administration's inefficiency in tackling flood threats.The statement suggested that they could be removed by either the National Council for Peace and Order chief, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, or Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda."Please replace them with efficient, experienced and knowledgeable persons," the association said in the statement.It warned that the failure to remove them could result in Bangkok continually suffering flooding.Many Bangkok people lamented yesterday that they were forced to spend hours on the roads trying to get to work or send their children to school. Some schools decided to close for the day.Ironically, as flooding wreaked havoc in the capital, Sukhumbhand and his deputies were in the Netherlands inspecting a water-drainage system.Later in the day yesterday, Sukhumbhand gave an interview to Nation Channel explaining that the trip was made in response to an invitation and he would head home today. He apologised to those who had been affected by the flooding-caused traffic woes.However, he explained that it took time for water to drain from road surfaces following heavy rain, with yesterday's downpour beginning at around 1am and lasting for hours.BMA spokesperson Threedow Aphaiwongs Sukhum announced on Facebook that the heavy rain spread across the capital and at the Lat Krabang District Office the rainfall reached 103 millimetres.Several key roads in Bangkok were swamped with floodwater. Among them were Bang Na-Trad, Sukhumvit, Asoke-Montri, Rama IV, Rama III and Lat Krabang.At worst-hit spots, the floodwater was as high as 50 centimetres.Flooding is a serious issue in Bangkok, and when Sukhumbhand campaigned for his second term as Bangkok governor he highlighted a policy to prevent floods.So far, after two more years in office, many Bangkok residents feel he cannot deliver on his policy.Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Maj-General Nipon Charoenphon said that the failure to effectively drain water off road surfaces was a key problem affecting traffic flow."We have been in contact with the BMA Drainage and Sewerage Department. But the situation doesn't seem to improve on Asoke-Montri Road," he said.Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Governor-under-fire-as-rains-bring-city-to-a-stand-30261889.html-- The Nation 2015-06-09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcisco Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Fortunately last nights downpour wasn't anywhere as large as Mondays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluespunk Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 "In addition to loud complaints on social media, the Stop Global Warming Association also called for Sukhumbhand to be sacked." Yes because he caused global warming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluespunk Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 "The statement suggested that they could be removed by either the National Council for Peace and Order chief, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, or Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda. "Please replace them with efficient, experienced and knowledgeable persons," the association said in the statement." Not the electorates choice then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby nz Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Now if only half of those who chose to drive their private cars, mostly one person per vehicle, in the city were to leave them at home and use public transport then, rain or not, the traffic congestion would be sorted. All that lovely desperately needed water going to waste, what would those in the drought areas give for good downpours like that ? Anyone who can come up with a method of efficiently moving water to where it is needed will be a national hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marquess Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Perhaps if there is a sustained campaign to remove all the illegal buildings and other impedia obstructing the canals, then drainage might be a little easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee b Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I feel sorry for all who got stuck in these jams, especially the poor people on the old thai buses with no A/c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z42 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 They should do what KL did with the underground flood tunnels that when not in use for that double as traffic routes easing congestion on the roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Have they cleaned out the storm drains yet, or do they need to wait for the first flood of the year to be reminded to do so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chupup Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 They should do what KL did with the underground flood tunnels that when not in use for that double as traffic routes easing congestion on the roads. Agreed but this is Thailand, lots of promises to sort things out, which are soon forgotten as soon as the rain stops as an aside isn't BKK sinking into the sea by a few MMs every year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockman Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 And it will come again, it is not if, it is when! Just the basic clearing of klongs. But no big payoff doing that. So forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manbing Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Same s#!+ different year. It was Yingsy under the gun last time I recall?. Let's all agree Thailand needs to upgrade its drainage as a priority. The big guy should crackdown on floods, send them for reeducation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbthailand Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 "The statement suggested that they could be removed by either the National Council for Peace and Order chief, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, or Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda. "Please replace them with efficient, experienced and knowledgeable persons," the association said in the statement." Not the electorates choice then? when you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. when you have Art 44, ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerojero Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Explained it takes time for water to drain away.... Duh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zakk9 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Unfortunately, even if he did a good job to prevent flooding, there would still be water in the streets. That's a fact of life when a city of Bangkok's size is built a meter above sea level. The measures to prevent it would be so massive that few would accept to live with them and certainly not pay for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 They should do what KL did with the underground flood tunnels that when not in use for that double as traffic routes easing congestion on the roads. Impossible. KL is on average just under 22m above sea level. Bangkok is on average 1.5 m above sea level with sections at or below sea level. KL and Bangkok have very different soil characteristics. Bangkok was a natural wetland/swamp that was built over. It has a layer of clay over water. Not the best soil for drainage properties or supporting structures without risk of subsidence. KL had a strong base of limestone for 1/2 the city and much of the key business areas and sedimentary rock and sand in the Kenny Hills formation. Your tunnel proposal makes use of two holding ponds and they are an integral part of the flood diversion plan because the water has to be held somewhere and then slowly drained. There is nowhere to build drainage ponds in Bangkok. As well, the elevation of Bangkok would preclude the natural elevation drainage method of KL. The people of Bangkok need to understand that they are living in a place where they do not belong. The swamp land was reclaimed centuries ago for farming use. The structures and drainage was built for farming, not high density urban living. There is no way to save Bangkok unless large portions of the city are given up to build proper drainage and protection structures. None of the land owners will ever agree to that. It's easier to blame the governor than to accept that Bangkok is several million people too large. In 50 years, as the city floods worsen maybe the people will get it. By then the BMA will hold 15-20 million people and they will have to go somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLee Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Coming soon... "Mega Flood Thailand 2011 part 2".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 They should do what KL did with the underground flood tunnels that when not in use for that double as traffic routes easing congestion on the roads. Impossible. KL is on average just under 22m above sea level. Bangkok is on average 1.5 m above sea level with sections at or below sea level. KL and Bangkok have very different soil characteristics. Bangkok was a natural wetland/swamp that was built over. It has a layer of clay over water. Not the best soil for drainage properties or supporting structures without risk of subsidence. KL had a strong base of limestone for 1/2 the city and much of the key business areas and sedimentary rock and sand in the Kenny Hills formation. Your tunnel proposal makes use of two holding ponds and they are an integral part of the flood diversion plan because the water has to be held somewhere and then slowly drained. There is nowhere to build drainage ponds in Bangkok. As well, the elevation of Bangkok would preclude the natural elevation drainage method of KL. The people of Bangkok need to understand that they are living in a place where they do not belong. The swamp land was reclaimed centuries ago for farming use. The structures and drainage was built for farming, not high density urban living. There is no way to save Bangkok unless large portions of the city are given up to build proper drainage and protection structures. None of the land owners will ever agree to that. It's easier to blame the governor than to accept that Bangkok is several million people too large. In 50 years, as the city floods worsen maybe the people will get it. By then the BMA will hold 15-20 million people and they will have to go somewhere. Thank you.... good piece of writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobmac10 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Same s#!+ different year. It was Yingsy under the gun last time I recall?. Let's all agree Thailand needs to upgrade its drainage as a priority. The big guy should crackdown on floods, send them for reeducation. Yeah, it was Yingluck's fault last time, but that seems to have been forgotten now. What a charade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubl Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Have they cleaned out the storm drains yet, or do they need to wait for the first flood of the year to be reminded to do so? They did, a few times already. Just check the news from one or two months ago. Mind you, with Thai still in a lifelong build up habit of dropping anything they no longer need and let the Gods take care of it, we will need re-education camps for a bit more than just seven-day training sessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx22cb Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Have they cleaned out the storm drains yet, or do they need to wait for the first flood of the year to be reminded to do so? The first flood of the year is not used as a reminder to clean the drains - it (the first flood of the year) is used to flush out the drains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomerangutang Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 (edited) Here's something which would help a little bit: Intersections with dedicated right turn signals/lanes. 4-way intersections in Thailand only allow one lane to move at any one time. If there were dedicated right turn lanes, along with traffic lights with right-turn arrows (red and green), then TWO/OPPOSING LANES COULD MOVE CONCURRENTLY. Traffic lights are not needed on lightly used side roads. That would ease traffic flow along busier lanes. I've seen, in Thailand and Burma, intersections where traffic lights have been installed - where there are almost no vehicles coming in from small side roads. The main road might have 50 vehicles/minute whereas the side road may have one motorbike/minute. Similarly, with T-junctions. The top of the T should have a lane which is always open for moving traffic. The traffic lights could keep changing as before, and the open lane would not interfere - and would, of course, keep traffic moving non-stop in that one direction. My former town, in California, had zero traffic lights. Population: about 200,000. Granted, a lot smaller than Bkk, but not smaller than many towns in Thailand which have dozens of traffic lights. A key factor: decency by drivers, and willingness to stop at stop signs. The same town had zero fast-food franchises, but that's a different topic. Edited June 9, 2015 by boomerangutang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubl Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Fortunately last nights downpour wasn't anywhere as large as Mondays Not sure. From where I live (Khet Dusit in Bangkok) last night sounded like heavier rain than the night before. Started arounf 1:30AM and went on and off for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upena Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Blame it on those that just prayed for rain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy50 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I am not quite sure what kind of idiot would own a car in Bangkok, but there seem to be millions of them. 'If you dig your own grave........................................................' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quandow Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Same s#!+ different year. It was Yingsy under the gun last time I recall?. Let's all agree Thailand needs to upgrade its drainage as a priority. The big guy should crackdown on floods, send them for reeducation. Yeah, it was Yingluck's fault last time, but that seems to have been forgotten now. What a charade. No she was cleared of those charges: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/455328/yingluck-cleared-of-flood-mismanagement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Now if only half of those who chose to drive their private cars, mostly one person per vehicle, in the city were to leave them at home and use public transport then, rain or not, the traffic congestion would be sorted. Please no. The BTS and MRT are already completely overcrowded in rush hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Flint Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I realy hope the floods get sorted in Bangkok, then the thais would not come to Pattaya and buy the condos, and coming here at weekend, gridlocking our roads too,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I am not quite sure what kind of idiot would own a car in Bangkok, but there seem to be millions of them. 'If you dig your own grave........................................................' What a ridiculous comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockman Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Thais always want to run before they can walk. Building mega malls. But not removing rubbish from klongs. Everything is for show. But the basics are forgotten. And the big flood is coming one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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