Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance

[webfact]

Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat

 

A Thai worker installs speakers on a warning system tower at a beach in Phuket, south of Bangkok November 27, 2005. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance work, the deputy director-general of its disaster prevention department said on Monday, more than a decade after the region was hit by a tsunami that killed 226,000 people.

 

A 9.15 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004 and triggered a massive tsunami that caused large scaled destruction and loss of life throughout the Indian Ocean.

 

Popular tourist destination Thailand was among the worst affected, along with Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Many of the 5,395 people killed in Thailand were foreign tourists holidaying along the shores of its idyllic islands and beaches.

 

Thailand's warning system includes warning towers, a network of detection buoys in the sea and public announcement systems.

 

"Around 70 to 80 percent, or around 2,000 pieces, need to be taken care of. We set up this system since 2006 so it needs to be maintained," Kobchai Boonyaorana, deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, told Reuters, referring to various equipment.

 

"Batteries need to be changed," he added, "I've ordered that this needs to be done urgently particularly in the southern region which is a tourist region. There might be some places where the equipment is damaged but not many places."

 

Prasert Kunneang, public relations officer at the National Disaster Warning Center in Bangkok, said the tsunami warning system is tested daily and Thailand is prepared in the event of a future tsunami.

 

"If there is a tsunami tomorrow, the warning system would work," Prasert told Reuters.

 

With its picturesque beaches, gilded palaces and temples and balmy climate, Thailand remains a firm foreign tourist favourite.

 

Tourism accounts for 12 percent of Thailand's economic output, and has been a rare bright spot for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, whose growth has lagged peers in recent years.

 

Other forms of communication will be used to warn people about a tsunami while the equipment undergoes maintenance, said Prasert, including television and radio announcements.

 

(Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-31

[quadperfect]

Ok so tourism is now down to 12 percent from 21 percent gdp.

And still things are booming here?

Maybe it meant 21 percent?

So lets get the 80 percent of the warning system back online.so it does not become less than 12

Edited July 31, 2017 by quadperfect

[Cadbury]

 

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

tsunami warning system needs maintenance work

Maintenance of public services such as the tsunami warning devices, sewage treatment plants and other public utilities receive zero or negligible maintenance at best. Common knowledge that funding for such things gets siphoned off before it gets anywhere need it's intended use. 

 

[Shroud]

One might wan't to ask if the warning systems out in the sea is working as well? 

[inThailand]

I guess those tsunami buoy batteries are out again? It only took 6 months or so to get replacements last time. Mi pen rai! Chai yen!

[tso310]

Surely it should read '80% of Thailand needs maintenance'.

[inThailand]

Just now, tso310 said:

Surely it should read '80% of Thailand needs maintenance'.

Yup....but first you have to understand what maintenance is.

[chainarong]

Shades of the H/S rail project in a decades time....................................

[YetAnother]

46 minutes ago, tso310 said:

Surely it should read '80% of Thailand needs maintenance'.

underestimated

[Lupatria]

...and the budget, generously provided by the "government" for maintenance went where?

Oh, I forgot- they are not responsible any damage caused by tsunamis, floods, and droughts.  

[KIWIBATCH]

"Around 70 to 80 percent, or around 2,000 pieces, need to be taken care of. We set up this system since 2006 so it needs to be maintained," Kobchai Boonyaorana, deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, told Reuters, referring to various equipment..."

 

 

Prasert Kunneang, public relations officer at the National Disaster Warning Center in Bangkok, said "the tsunami warning system is tested daily and Thailand is prepared in the event of a future tsunami".

 

"If there is a tsunami tomorrow, the warning system would work," Prasert told Reuters.

 

So exactly what is the current position??...Kobchai indicates "it needs maintenance"......Prasert says 'it's working and Thailand is prepared if there was a tsunami tomorrow"

 

Come on lads...get your  facts correct...

 

 

[YetAnother]

is there a thai word, or even a phrase, for 'maintenance' ?

[Emster23]

Unbelievable 20% works. "The warning system would work...." Okay, just herd the sheep to areas where the 20% are working. Problem solved.

[YetAnother]

5 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

All the maintenance money will have been 'taken' already.

 

You know you've failed as a society when your own Police force is caught nicking charity money donated to help after a major humanitarian disaster effort.

 

Wretches.

 

 

agreed; and their lack of moral code entices them to believe that is all 'natural' and ok; victims be damned 

[Ricardo]

A quick Google-search shows that there have been constant maintenance & funding-problems reported, with the essential detection-buoys out at sea, for the past several years.

 

Without those being in-working-order, the alarm-systems onshore are pointless, and Thailand has simply failed to maintain this essential-system.

 

If the word gets out, in the countries where the tourists come from, then the Thai tourist-industry would take a serious 'hit'.

 

The answer is to make absolutely-sure that sufficient-funds are made available, and that the complete offshore/onshore system is fully functional at all times, excuses or meaningless reassurances from poo-yais will not suffice !

[Inepto Cracy]

4 hours ago, Shroud said:

One might wan't to ask if the warning systems out in the sea is working as well? 

The sea buoys in the upper Indian ocean have been Un Serviceable since 2015 and NOAA Tsunami Warning Center, has stopped their warning system for this region. So if a tsunami wave is detected there, the warning system for Sumatra, Phuket and India would not work. So how can it be said that persons will be forewarned if a tsunami threat is detected, pleeeease data sent by seagull?

Get up to date info before talking nonsence please, you just loose face internationally and scare away tourists.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Inepto Cracy
spelling

[ardsong]

The word maintenance is used in general terms in the article so nobody knows what is meant or what the operational performance of the tsunami warning system is.

 

Functional performance  is : the correct working as per requirement of the equipment.

in my view is maintenance: the effort to keep a system in a functional state such that the performance fulfills the requirement of the system.

this thus should lead to a statement that the Tsunami equipment needs a 100% maintenance effort, because you want to maintain the functional performance.

maintenance should be listed in a maintenance program to do the necessary work and tests in time.

 

When a system is out of order a repair is required. Repairs should be done asap the functional performance is not meeting the  requirements and should be done in a way that the functionality is fully restored.

 

What I fear the article maybe wanted to state is: repair is required on 80% of the equipment,  I hope not.

 

My experience with battery life in Thailand is 2- 3 years.

 

 

[gandalf12]

4 hours ago, Shroud said:

One might wan't to ask if the warning systems out in the sea is working as well? 

Probably a better question would be has the system ever worked effectively?

[AhFarangJa]

4 hours ago, chainarong said:

Shades of the H/S rail project in a decades time....................................

3 decades actually.......It is going to take 2 decades to get it up and running....

[wvavin]

No need maintenance. All equipments used in Thailand will work perpetually and of course, very safe!

[soalbundy]

This is news ?

[Ulic]

I would have thought it is more like 20% need maintenance and 80%

needs to be entirely replaced. 

[farcanell]

Is anybody surprised?

Come on... anybody?

no?

Maybe because maintenance and QA/QC is reserved for Thais.... ???

 

but seriously, these systems should be subjected to regular inspections and function testing, (quarterly?) overseen by an independent (foreign) group, until Thailand can demonstrate the ability to self regulate.

 

the government wants to reassure foreigne bodies that Thailand is a safe holiday destination.... these sorts of headlines do not achieve that... so simple... fail (again)

[Arandora]

Maintenance should not have to include the despicable vandalism and theft of cabling from the warning towers which happened in Khao Lak, the worst affected area. 

[SGD]

No, 100% of it needs maintenance, permanently !

 

No surprise that 80% is knackered already.

 

Thai = never learn

[decca60]

The only tsunami warning system I would trust here are the elephants. If they become more than nervous it's time to run as fast as you can...

[Thian]

1 hour ago, decca60 said:

The only tsunami warning system I would trust here are the elephants. If they become more than nervous it's time to run as fast as you can...

Even a wasp can make them pretty nervous 

[puipuitom]

A Thai who thinks further as "prung nee" ( tomorrow)  is not born yet. 

Why maintenance is always neglected in Thailand ? Does it not bring enough T-money in for the officials ? Where the budget for this went to ? Already disappeared ( into the pockets of several officials ? ) 

Tourists depend on safety precautions seen the disaster of 26 Dec 2004. And then to discover... oh, mai ruh, 

Till of course many toursts do not trust Thailand anymore and go to other places. Then it is not the stupidity of many Thais but.. their bad karma.

[macgver]

Tsunami go faster than the plane ... does it work?

[Cadbury]

6 hours ago, inThailand said:

I guess those tsunami buoy batteries are out again? It only took 6 months or so to get replacements last time. Mi pen rai! Chai yen!

If such a simple thing like the tsunami buoy batteries are such a problem one has to wonder how the submarines will survive when their batteries run flat. Nothing worse when the batteries run flat and die. Ask any woman.