Pattaya Flooding

[BillyBobThai]

As a former resident of Pattaya, I wonder if maps are even available that show the flood plain in and around Pattaya. My quess is NO. Here in ChiangMai there is a map that covers a good portion of the city. My heart goes put to all of you guys who were flooded.

[elgenon]

For $10,000 dollars I could design a sewer system from 2nd road to Beach Road to the ocean that would eliminate floods on those 2 roads. Very simple and elegant and would just use gravity. The gov't is spending all that money for construction on Sukumvit but doesn't care about the damage by floods that could easily be prevented. Definitely not farang thinking. But then farangs would be suing the hell out of their gov't.

Its not that simple, they did soi6 Pratamnak road a few years ago, dug up the whole road and put in very big drains both sides of the road, this road is not short of a mile long.

It still flooded the other night because of the sheer amount of rain coming down, not many places in the world with cope with that amount, and if the tides is in, makes it even harder

If you had a pipe 6' in diameter from 2nd road to the ocean you could drain farangs to the ocean. If you had such a pipe at every 2nd soi there would be no flooding. IMHO Of course it would have to be properly placed so gravity could do its thing. Just digging holes and placing pipe doesn't do it. You have to do an analysis of where it should go and how to get it there. I could put in a 10' pipe. But if it the placement is not engineered correctly it ain't gonna work.

BTW Have you ever walked along second road and noticed all the drains on the sidewalks have been covered over? I guess so ladies' shoes don't get caught in the grill. Removing those covers would be a start.

[Furryman]

For $10,000 dollars I could design a sewer system from 2nd road to Beach Road to the ocean that would eliminate floods on those 2 roads. Very simple and elegant and would just use gravity. The gov't is spending all that money for construction on Sukumvit but doesn't care about the damage by floods that could easily be prevented. Definitely not farang thinking. But then farangs would be suing the hell out of their gov't.

Its not that simple, they did soi6 Pratamnak road a few years ago, dug up the whole road and put in very big drains both sides of the road, this road is not short of a mile long.

It still flooded the other night because of the sheer amount of rain coming down, not many places in the world with cope with that amount, and if the tides is in, makes it even harder

If you had a pipe 6' in diameter from 2nd road to the ocean you could drain farangs to the ocean. If you had such a pipe at every 2nd soi there would be no flooding. IMHO Of course it would have to be properly placed so gravity could do its thing. Just digging holes and placing pipe doesn't do it. You have to do an analysis of where it should go and how to get it there. I could put in a 10' pipe. But if it the placement is not engineered correctly it ain't gonna work.

BTW Have you ever walked along second road and noticed all the drains on the sidewalks have been covered over? I guess so ladies' shoes don't get caught in the grill. Removing those covers would be a start.

The covers are there to keep the stink from all the septic tanks illegally draining into the storm sewers away. Mostly they get rolled up at closing or when the rain starts.

[KhunBENQ]

BTW Have you ever walked along second road and noticed all the drains on the sidewalks have been covered over? I guess so ladies' shoes don't get caught in the grill. Removing those covers would be a start.

No, I bet they are covered to avoid the disgusting smell which comes from the drains most of the time/year (when they are merely dry).

Not very inviting when approaching a bar/restaurant.

[rocketboybkk]

Did anyone see any human 'turds' floating around?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JHolmesJr]

Did anyone see any human 'turds' floating around?

start at lk metro toughly near rock house and start discovering…..

[tropo]

For $10,000 dollars I could design a sewer system from 2nd road to Beach Road to the ocean that would eliminate floods on those 2 roads. Very simple and elegant and would just use gravity. The gov't is spending all that money for construction on Sukumvit but doesn't care about the damage by floods that could easily be prevented. Definitely not farang thinking. But then farangs would be suing the hell out of their gov't.

There's no point flapping about what you think you can do on here - if you can, get to it and help the community.

[elgenon]

For $10,000 dollars I could design a sewer system from 2nd road to Beach Road to the ocean that would eliminate floods on those 2 roads. Very simple and elegant and would just use gravity. The gov't is spending all that money for construction on Sukumvit but doesn't care about the damage by floods that could easily be prevented. Definitely not farang thinking. But then farangs would be suing the hell out of their gov't.

There's no point flapping about what you think you can do on here - if you can, get to it and help the community.

OK then. Cut me a check and guarantee it will be built or no point flapping at me.

[craigt3365]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

[digbeth]

of Sewers and Storm Drains..

On some streets like Klang, there seems to be two sets of pipes, one with solid metal covers and one with open gratings, presumably the closed one is the sewer that gets pumped from beach road to treatment plant somewhere(hopefully?) and the open one being the storm drain that goes directly to sea.

but when I look down at all the little sois that branch of the main road, I only see one set of pipe, and it seems to connect to the open storm drain.... and I don't see how all the buildings along the sois could connect their sewage to the sewage pipe, they only seem to be dumping into the storm drain system, maybe the sewer system is somewhere else that I didn't see? what's your streets like?

[bartender100]

Always around 12 hours after even the worst rain possible in Pattaya 99% of the flooding is gone, shows the drain system is working very well. IMHO

Its doing stupid things like cutting down old trees on the shore line that is annoying because it causes beach erosion as just seen in Jomtien

[1BADDAT]

Always around 12 hours after even the worst rain possible in Pattaya 99% of the flooding is gone, shows the drain system is working very well. IMHO

Its doing stupid things like cutting down old trees on the shore line that is annoying because it causes beach erosion as just seen in Jomtien

So you would be content with the drainage system as long as the meter of water in your home was only there for 12 hours?

[Nice Boyd]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

Please be Careful buying a Used Car or Motobikes with Flood Damage and they will ship them all over Thailand too

[tropo]

For $10,000 dollars I could design a sewer system from 2nd road to Beach Road to the ocean that would eliminate floods on those 2 roads. Very simple and elegant and would just use gravity. The gov't is spending all that money for construction on Sukumvit but doesn't care about the damage by floods that could easily be prevented. Definitely not farang thinking. But then farangs would be suing the hell out of their gov't.

There's no point flapping about what you think you can do on here - if you can, get to it and help the community.

OK then. Cut me a check and guarantee it will be built or no point flapping at me.

It doesn't work like that. You're not doing it for me. You'll have to present your detailed proposal and budget to the council for approval. No doubt they would jump at the opportunity to prevent flooding in Pattaya for the paltry sum of 350,000 baht. Simple, easy and elegant.

[phycokiller]

I dont think its as simple to solve as some suppose. Pattaya is flat and not far above sea level, and once you are 2 meters under a road you are very close to sea level. In fact pretty much impossible to drain, you really would need very large storage tanks and pumps. Many coastal cities in western countries have the same problems, in Florida for example. Not saying it cant be much improved but I dont think you are going to do it for $10000.

[elgenon]

I dont think its as simple to solve as some suppose. Pattaya is flat and not far above sea level, and once you are 2 meters under a road you are very close to sea level. In fact pretty much impossible to drain, you really would need very large storage tanks and pumps. Many coastal cities in western countries have the same problems, in Florida for example. Not saying it cant be much improved but I dont think you are going to do it for $10000.

Sorry I think you misread my post.I said I would design it only and only if there were a guarantee it would be built. Or why discount my services?

[lombardo47]

If you build it....we will come.

[guzzi850m2]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

Will your house insurance cover anything?

So the cause of the flooding in your village, was it due to a busted dam or just heavy rain?

Yes must be an absolute nightmare, as a house owner myself, I fell very sorry for you guys affected.

[craigt3365]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

Will your house insurance cover anything?

So the cause of the flooding in your village, was it due to a busted dam or just heavy rain?

Yes must be an absolute nightmare, as a house owner myself, I fell very sorry for you guys affected.

Our area has never had a flood. It's low lying, but even the head of the local tambon, who has lived right outside our village for 30 years, has never seen a big flood. We've had a few minor ones, but nothing serious. So....didn't get the flood insurance! Sucks. My guess right now is we're going to be out around 150-200k. Not huge, but I could have used that money for something more fun! LOL

I think it was the perfect storm. Super heavy rains, a dam that burst, and the guy who owns the property behind our village just covered over the drainage canals so he can build some houses. The dam that burst was the one that really got us. I'm about a meter above the level of the road. And the water was about 1/2 high inside our house.

It's an absolute nightmare. Especially as I have family here, including my 90 year old mother who just keeps saying "I want to go home". Kills me.....

I'm beat to the bone. 8am-6pm every day for the past week.

[guzzi850m2]

Yes all this building in the greater Pattaya are not good for draining the water, nowhere to go.

The old wooden shacks behind my village almost got washed away when the parameter wall collapsed, fell sorry for those people.

Some of those people were born there and refused to sell when my village was made and now the new wall will get huge drain holes in it so next time it rains like that, they will be flooded again.

[thaibeachlovers]

I was caught in the chaos last night from 6.30 onwards. I was in my trusty Honda Jazz. Despite the waters coming into the car it kept going the length of Soi Bukhao & up to higher ground on Klang. When I opened the doors the water rushed out. I bought 2 basins at Big C & my friend & I bailed out the inside/boot. A number of luxury cars ground to a halt (BMW & Merc.) Amazingly the Jazz kept going tho' the exhaust was under water. About 11pm I managed to get to Suk which was flooded in the usual places before Pattaya Tai. Soi 6 was open for business - so I've heard.

• Quote

Not so amazing as long as you didn't stop the car. Had you stopped the engine, it wouldn't have started again with pipe under water.

BTW, if you look under the carpet in the boot, there should be holes with plastic covers in them- remove the covers to allow water out.

Wish I'd been in Pattaya then. Love being able to say "I told you so". Given how rubbish Pattaya city planners are ( do they even exist? ) it is an event that will happen every time a lot of rain. Couple of years ago I was in Pizza Co ( or Pizza Hut- can't remember which ) in Central looking at an ordinary rainfall flooding Beach Rd. Unsurprising as the people that built the new walkway must have blocked the drains and the sandbags along the seawall don't help.

[thaibeachlovers]

Yes, how can the people not be electrocuted? I remember people sitting in an open air restaurant being fried a couple years back.

It is amazing to me how Beach road and 2nd Road can not drain to the ocean. It seems like a simple thing to engineer. Is the ocean as high as the street?

Well now is the drought over in Pattaya? I hope so.

The grade/slope is not very large at that point. The water simply can't drain quickly enough. Last year or the year before they was a nice picture of Beach Road and the water flowing down the stairs into the "basement" of the mall right there around Soi 9.

its not engineered properly. If it was it would drain properly. Take a look when it floods. The drains have water coming OUT of them.

While they seem to be trying to do something where Central Rd meets Beach Rd now, the answer would have been to put very large tunnels under every road and soi that lead from Second to the beach and run the water out into the bay. Of course now that they are all built and paved, it becomes too expensive, so I'm pickin' Pattaya is stuck with the floods every storm.

However, I don't remember the floods being as bad 20 years ago, or even a few years ago. Perhaps the existing drains were never maintained, and have all blocked up. It's just not Thainess to do routine maintenance, is it? Just wait till it fails and then build something new and expensive ( for all the usual reasons ).

Where I live, they made really huge drains through the swamp to deal with the annual floods, but after 3 years they are almost completely blocked with vegetation that is never cleared. It's like the power lines in the countryside- never cut the trees that grow through the wires and a storm will knock them over, and break the wires.

Is there any sand left on the beach?

[thaibeachlovers]

its not engineered properly. If it was it would drain properly. Take a look when it floods. The drains have water coming OUT of them.

It doesn't help much that Thai's shove a lot of waste down the drains too, saw a Thai guy shoving left over cement down once. And there those diligent sweet old ladies that sweep up outside their shops or houses in the morning and straight into the drains too.

Yes, it boggles me that they don't seem to realise they are blocking the drains. Near where I live, someone removed the concrete drain cover, and the lady of that house swept the leaves from the street into the drain, and blocked it completely, I always wished for a big storm to flood their house so I could go and laugh at her, but it hasn't happened yet.

[thaibeachlovers]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

Cars need to have the carpet taken out, so can dry under, and if not dried properly they stink. Unfortunately, new cars don't make it easy to take the carpet out. Another reason I like my old, pre computerised, car.

[Don Mega]

Quick update. Our village got electricity back on late Saturday. A few brave souls have moved back in, but the majority are still residing elsewhere. It's an absolute mess. We had 17 workers at our house off and on yesterday. We're making progress, but it's slow....and expensive! LOL

I was at the car place yesterday and it's full of cars with doors open, mats/seats out, hoods open, drying out. Unreal. Many were hurt by these floods down in NaJomtien.

Cars need to have the carpet taken out, so can dry under, and if not dried properly they stink. Unfortunately, new cars don't make it easy to take the carpet out. Another reason I like my old, pre computerised, car.

Unclip a few plastics, remove the seats and the carpet can easily be lifted out...nothing really hard about.

[thaibeachlovers]

Building houses in flood zones? WHY? WHY? WHY?

I am not an expert, but I would imagine that a vast majority of property built in tropical countries that are subject to monsoons are built in so-called flood plains.

Probably the whole of Bangla Desh is one huge flood zone.

It goes with the territory, so to speak.

It's more a question of having the necessary infrastructure (monsoon drains, pumps and the like) to deal with the storms when they come.

More specific. Why would a foreigner want to build in places that are known to flood?

Probably for the same reason they build in flood plains back wherever they come from. People just don't consider all the possible bad things that can happen.

Many, many years ago when I was looking to buy, my partner found a place she really liked, but all I could see was that the subdivision was in a depression with a single outlet drain, so that was a non starter.

Actually, no problem building in a flooding place in Thailand, like millions of Thais do. Just build Thai style on poles above flood level.

Have you seen inside a ground level concrete Thai house in a flood prone area? Tiled walls, so the water doesn't damage the house inside, and they have an upstairs to take the fridge etc to avoid being damaged.

[elgenon]

its not engineered properly. If it was it would drain properly. Take a look when it floods. The drains have water coming OUT of them.

It doesn't help much that Thai's shove a lot of waste down the drains too, saw a Thai guy shoving left over cement down once. And there those diligent sweet old ladies that sweep up outside their shops or houses in the morning and straight into the drains too.

Yes, it boggles me that they don't seem to realise they are blocking the drains. Near where I live, someone removed the concrete drain cover, and the lady of that house swept the leaves from the street into the drain, and blocked it completely, I always wished for a big storm to flood their house so I could go and laugh at her, but it hasn't happened yet.

Yep! I think concrete would do it! The guy who fixed the leak in my wall put the leftover concrete in my downspout. Just found out why the water went down the wall instead of the downspout. Amazing lazy workers. It solved his problem of disposal.