Min of Transport says elevated dams will boost maritime commerce

BANGKOK, 11 November 2015 (NNT) - The Ministry of Transport is pushing for the construction of elevated dams in the Chao Phraya and Nan Rivers, in a bid to increase maritime commerce by 20% over the next four years.

At the discussion forum on the construction of the new dams, Inspector-General of the Ministry of Transport Sorasak Saensombet delivered a speech on Thailand’s logistics industry, which is ranked 35th out of 160 by the World Bank.

He revealed that 82% of all transportation activities in the county are conducted on land, with only 9.5% conducted on water. The two dams are expected to increase the country’s maritime commerce by 20%, as well as significantly reduce shipment costs.

Deputy Director-General of the Marine Department Somchai Sumanushajonkul reported that the projects will be able to deliver their environmental impact analyses at the beginning of next year.

Construction will then commence in 2018 and take four years to complete. Mr Somchai estimated that the two dams will allow for up to 44 million tons of cargo to travel through per year.


-- NNT 2015-11-11

Elevated dams??? Are these something like the age-old locks found along English canals?

Elevated dams??? Are these something like the age-old locks found along English canals?

Yes.

Wouldn't a decent railroad system work better, as it could go ANYWHERE?

Forget high speed rail, just implement a good twin track standard gauge rail system. It can be built out to go where the need exists.

This 'elevated dam' idea is just silly. Oh, right. TiT.

Edited November 11, 201510 yr by WhizBang

Wouldn't a decent railroad system work better, as it could go ANYWHERE?

Forget high speed rail, just implement a good twin track standard gauge rail system. It can be built out to go where the need exists.

This 'elevated dam' idea is just silly. Oh, right. TiT.

I regret to inform you, much to the regret of everyone, except the minister, that you have hit the nail on the head!

LOS = Land of Silly.

At the risk of being thought rather thick (heaven forbid), how does an "elevated dam" work? If it is elevated,won't the water all leak out underneath?

A no brainer. Add locks to make a river more navigable and they can be built in only 4 years with a guaranteed income stream from fees, given the huge cost difference of barge transportation vs. rail transportation for bulk cargos. I would think banks would be lining up to provide financing for something like that.