Chao Phraya Promenade ‘will change the river’s flow and eco-system’

[webfact]

CHAO PHRAYA PROMENADE

Promenade ‘will change the river’s flow and eco-system’

Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- If the riverside promenade goes ahead, it will have an inevitable impact on the waterway and the Chao Phraya ecosystem, official agencies and experts have warned.The design for the “Chao Phraya for All” riverside promenade by King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang (KMITL) will be submitted to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) next Monday.

 

Construction work is slated to begin in the first quarter of next year.Relevant agencies and environmental experts fear the project would change the river forever.According to the KMITL design, the promenade will be almost entirely built over the river.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Promenade-will-change-the-rivers-flow-and-eco-syst-30296182.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-26

[rhythmworx]

1 year later it will start sinking and then renewal projects can happen every year, to line someones pockets with gold.

 

 

 

 

[otherstuff1957]

The riverbanks are not exactly a pristine, untouched environment at present! 

[maoro2013]

Have they considered the effects on flooding??, so far an unsolved problem.

[Deserted]

Business comes before the environment here. Too much money to be made to worry about a little thing like a changed eco-system.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

it will have an inevitable impact on the waterway and the Chao Phraya ecosystem

Not a problem.

It will be Thaksin/Yingluck's fault.

[williamgeorgeallen]

1 hour ago, maoro2013 said:

Have they considered the effects on flooding??, so far an unsolved problem.

a very valid point. however after many years of throwing billions of baht at reducing flooding it seems that the problem can not be solved until the corruption problem is solved first. might as well spend the money on something more tangible. no, not road safety or education, something else.

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Promenade ‘will change the river’s flow and eco-system’

for better? for worse? or for same same but different?

[eliotness]

Would love to see the EIA if, and that's a huge "if" , one was written.  Also what were the qualifications and experience of the authors.  I know "this is Thailand", but having direct experience of the effects of a badly written EIA and a town council with vested interests, leading to flooding of houses, I suspect this is not going to be a good outcome.  

[Inyourendo]

1 hour ago, maoro2013 said:

Have they considered the effects on flooding??, so far an unsolved problem.

 

They have boats and submarines at the ready .... prop power.

 

As for the eco environment ... yes, pristine environment needs looking  after .. if there was one in anywhere in los

[swerver]

36 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

a very valid point. however after many years of throwing billions of baht at reducing flooding it seems that the problem can not be solved until the corruption problem is solved first. might as well spend the money on something more tangible. no, not road safety or education, something else.

 

- cannot be solve until the corruption problem is solved -

You got that right because that problem with the BKK flooding has been going on as far back as the Rama V era,, as explained in detail in the book King of the Waters. It is an old book not too easy to find in Thai bookstores.

Happy reading.

[pookiki]

"Experts have warned!"  Sounds ominous.  Where have I heard that before?

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

for better? for worse? or for same same but different?

An engineering hydraulic report coupled with modelling could forecast the potential impact.

I suspect that the for worse scenario is likely.

 

Floodplains exist for a natural reason. They absorb the overflow and slow migration of floodwaters. The former protects downstream flooding and the later reduces flood water velocity that can create massive scouring of the river bed and banks. If you eliminate those flood plains and streamline the flood channel, you increase the volume and velocity of flood waters. The increased downstream volume then impacts communities not previously affected by floods and the increased velocity affects both upstream and downstream river characteristics that can breach dikes and destroy bridges, roadway embankments, etc.  Larger amounts of sediment that would have otherwised gathered in the existing floodplains could contribute to downstream pollution and river blockages. A new secondary dam and/or resevoir might mitigate downstream impacts but such is not in the current plans.

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, maoro2013 said:

Have they considered the effects on flooding??, so far an unsolved problem.

 

 

Agree, should be serious and proven plans and implementation to make big gains on flood reduction and flood control well before this promenada stuff.

 

Also, I wonder at the overall priorities, surely there are many other items much more important right now. And I wonder just how many Thais and foreigners will regularly walk along this expensive promenada.

 

And I wonder if there will be serious controls in place in terms of vendors, or will vendors be allowed to just squat anywhere and set up rough often dirty stalls, throw rubbish everywhere etc., while officials watch and do nothing until if becomes a serious problem and all the more difficult to fix? 

Edited September 26, 2016 by scorecard

[jamesbrock]

1 hour ago, Inyourendo said:

 

They have boats and submarines at the ready .... prop power.

 

As for the eco environment ... yes, pristine environment needs looking  after .. if there was one in anywhere in los

 

Yes, understandably, the BMA thinks an environmental impact assessment study is not necessary because the project is categorised as a "bicycle lane".

 

I think the powers that be are so keen to get their snouts into the trough and divide the 30-40% of 35 billion baht amongst themselves, that they completely ignore the very real possibility that "the promenade would make water beneath it putrid because the slower river flow from the poles would trap garbage in the river."

 

I read one article that said there was also going to be a 3.7-metre high flood wall running along the length the promenade blocking off all the canals it crosses.

[robblok]

Probably not a good idea if its build on the water and causes the water discharge to slow down. During flooding they need to be able to discharge as much water as possible. 

[SABloke]

Business comes before the environment here. Too much money to be made to worry about a little thing like a changed eco-system.

Well removing the 1000s of people currently shitting directly into and disposing their rubbish in the river will surely benefit the eco system, won't it?

[Alive]

The best soil in Thailand is probably under Bangkok and the vicinity. It's too bad that the world has built all its major cities on the best soil. This is more money for Bangkok. When someone in BKK wants something the government tosses billions at them. You never see the government doing the same for the rural areas if they aren't areas where Bangkok's wealthy vacation. Anyways, I just see it as more waste, more for the haves and more environmental destruction. If Bangkok does face rising seas or more flooding the entire wealth of the nation will be used to save it. The future looks bleak with this develop BKK first, always and forever policy.

[ddavidovsky]

I'm surprised to hear there is any ecosystem in the downtown part of the river. Not as if there is salmon or dolphins in there...

 

As to the flow, on the scale of it, I wonder whether two rows of pillars along one edge affect the flow of such a volume of water, but that's presumably easy for the scientists to answer. There must be some peer-reviewed publications on the topic - the Royal Irrigation Dept would do well to cite some.

 

As to rubbish accumulating underneath, that's easily cleared. Just need a full-time team in a boat collecting it all. It shouldn't be in the river anyway. Water hyacinth would probably be a bigger problem, but again, the stuff should be routinely fished out anyway. Cleaning the river up in this way would actually help the ecosystem.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2016 by ddavidovsky

[DM07]

Far worse: God, is that thing ugly!

[jonclark]

2 hours ago, Alive said:

The best soil in Thailand is probably under Bangkok and the vicinity. It's too bad that the world has built all its major cities on the best soil. This is more money for Bangkok. When someone in BKK wants something the government tosses billions at them. You never see the government doing the same for the rural areas if they aren't areas where Bangkok's wealthy vacation. Anyways, I just see it as more waste, more for the haves and more environmental destruction. If Bangkok does face rising seas or more flooding the entire wealth of the nation will be used to save it. The future looks bleak with this develop BKK first, always and forever policy.

 

Whilst what you say is completely true, its important to remember that Bangkok and its satellites accounts for about 45% of total annual GDP, which may explain why so much money is (re)invested back into Bangkok compared to other Thai cities. 

 

 

[talisman01]

4 hours ago, swerver said:

 

- cannot be solve until the corruption problem is solved -

You got that right because that problem with the BKK flooding has been going on as far back as the Rama V era,, as explained in detail in the book King of the Waters. It is an old book not too easy to find in Thai bookstores.

Happy reading.

This book, which I have not read as yet but it looks very interesting indeed, is actually available online here...

 

http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=776