Water expert: Bangkok flooding is caused by city administration’s failure to drain away rainwater containment

[webfact]

Water expert says urban flooding is caused by city administration’s failure to drain away rainwater containment

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Hydro and Agro informatics Institute (HAII) says urban flooding in Bangkok is caused by the city administration's incapability to drain away rainwater containment, brushing aside suggestions that it is caused by water flowing downstream from the Northern region.

 

Affirmation of inefficient draining rainwater into the city sewage and draining canals is major cause of urban flooding came as Bangkok is expected to face heavy rains today and early next month as several areas are still submerged even there was no rainfall, particularly at Muangthong Thani, Chaengwattana, Don Mueang, and etc.

 

HAII director Royol Chitradon affirmed that the current flooding in urban areas was not caused by water flowing downstream from the North.

In fact it was caused by the city administration’s inability to solve the draining of rainwater, thus resulted in water containment in various areas whenever there was rain.

 

He cited example of flooding in Chaengwattana, saying it did not come from flood water from the North.

 

Everytime there was rain, the area was then flooded, he said.

 

He said it needed fast action to solve flooding in the area and not just simply telling the people if rainfall is over 60 mm, then flooding is unavoidable.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/water-expert-says-urban-flooding-caused-city-administrations-failure-drain-away-rainwater-containment/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-26

[Tatsujin]

Flooding is also caused by rubbish in the pipes clogging them up and blocking them and then backing up and flooding areas upstream.

 

Had personal experience of that one recently.

[pookiki]

Flooding has been going on in Bangkok for decades. Will anyone take prudent and reasonable actions to alleviated the problem or just hold meeting with unrealistic deadlines to cure the problem?

[clockman]

This has been a very big gravy train, for some people. And will go on providing for those people.

[huanga]

Talk is cheap and finger pointing is always easy. I like to see if PM can appoint someone from  The Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute who can put the money where his mouth is. At the end, if he can succeed as what he is saying, then he should get all the praises and credits. 

[Mister Fixit]

I don't think you need to be a 'water expert' to state the bleedin' obvious.

[scorecard]

56 minutes ago, clockman said:

This has been a very big gravy train, for some people. And will go on providing for those people.

 

 

True, many Billions of Baht have been allocated over decades, never much improvement.

[Asiantravel]

there is as much insight in this revelation as the news last week that traffic chaos in Bangkok was caused by too many cars

Edited September 26, 2016 by Asiantravel

[Junkyarddog]

The root cause of flooding in Bangkok has always been the same.

Too much water.

See I'm a expert too. I've been trained.

[clockman]

If you cannot solve the most basic problems. What hope for anything complicated?

[hgma]

They finally bring in the Dutch experts according to our Dutch ambassador in a tweet this morning.

Honestly proud of their experise.

[impulse]

1 minute ago, hgma said:

They finally bring in the Dutch experts according to our Dutch ambassador in a tweet this morning.

Honestly proud of their experise.

 

I'm not doubting the expertise of the Dutch regarding flood control, but I sometimes wonder about the ability of Euro and American consultants to take into consideration the economic realities of their recommendations.

 

Keeping water out of a Euro or American city has a very different economic value than keeping water out of a city that's flooded repeatedly and has learned to adapt to it.  And the equipment and expertise they'd count on at home has to be imported at tremendous cost to Thailand. 

 

We get it all the time.  $5,000,000 recommendations to solve a $500,000 problem.  In fairness, the same problem in the USA would be a $4,000,000 problem, and the solution they recommend would cost $2,000,000 if the equipment and materials didn't have to be imported at huge expense (and lots of siphoning).

[Doc46]

Duh ,,,,Sherlock,Finally you wake up.Should have been fixed 100 years ago,,,,

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhh....

 

...and....???

[jadee]

I agree with the expert, it's all about the fact that rainwater can't drain away. I live in Samut Prakarn, the province due south of Bangkok. Heavy rains always cause roads to flood as the drainage is inadequate. However, huge swells of water from the north can be dealth with by the government. During the huge 2011 flood, the province didn't flood as many 'experts' predicted it would when the water moved south. In fact, the province has quite a comprehensive drainage system including drainage canals to direct water away from Suvarnabhumi airport. The issue is a local one, where rainwater can't drain.  

[KBsinter]

And failure to maintain on I believe 21 Major pumps and could not open them. and 

the pictures of drainoffs full of rubbish,must say it was disgraceful.

its a THAI thing they don"t even maintain there own properties,

[naboo]

Bangkok, slightly above sea level. And sinking.

 

Bangkok's drains, at about sea level, thus don't drain. Water flows onto streets, into drains, drains fill to road level and fall very slowly, thus heavy rain results in flooding.

 

This isn't rocket science, And its only getting worse every year as Bangkok sinks.

 

My Moo Baan up north has a similar issue, the drains on the streets drain into an irrigation canal. The irrigation canal at this time of year is high, to supply rice paddies with water and to take water out of the Ping River to reduce risk of flooding in Chiang Mai. Heavy rain comes, the drains are below the level of the irrigation canal, surface water drains very slowly. Flooded the garden for a few hours three times this month, head down to the irrigation canal and water is flowing off the land into it. Drains have permanent water up to about 1m below road at this time of year.

[tifino]

 

they tried to take the Tour de France...

 

 

now they are vying for the Profits of Venice