Residents threaten workers who build dikes

Attempts by the city of Bangkok to build a dike to protect the center of Bangkok are opposed by excited residents.

On the Phahon Yothin road near the Rangsit canal, municipal workers were chased away with gunfire in the air when they tried to build a dike. The municipality has asked the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) for protection. Water is now starting to penetrate further into the city.

The Chaeng Wattana road and surrounding area flooded on Saturday after angry residents destroyed an earth embankment in Don Muang district. The water reached a height varying from 40 cm to 1 meter. As a result, polluted water flowed into the canal from which the water supply company draws water. Residents have been advised to boil tap water before drinking it. Repairs to the damaged dike, which is now being guarded, started on Sunday. Police have sent boats to evacuate victims.

Sunday evening it happened again: about a thousand residents living at Khlong 3 and 4 in the Khlong Sam Wa district blocked a road and demanded that the municipality open the Khlong Sam Wa weir further. They said the narrow opening is responsible for the severe flooding in their district. [The message does not state whether this action was successful.]

Short flood news:

• Residents of Lak Si district, especially those living along four canals, have been warned of flooding by the municipality.
• Kasetsart University, which houses evacuees, has been flooded. The water is 30 cm high. The university is preparing to accommodate the 650 evacuees at Rajabhat Phetchaburi University.
• The Ram Intra road at km 8 has been flooded by water flowing from sewage pits.
• On the Phahon Yothin road, water from the north spread to the Bang Khen circle [square?], where the Lak Si monument is located.
• Ten evacuation centers in four districts have been closed due to flooding: five in Don Muang, two in Sai Mai, two in Thawi Watthana and one in Khlong Sam Wa.
• In Taling Chan district, residents of three neighborhoods are having to prepare for evacuation as the water levels of the Khlong Maha Sawat continue to rise.
• High tide pushed up the water level in the Chao Praya River to 2,53 meters above mean sea level on Sunday. Several neighborhoods on both sides of the river were flooded.
• In western Bangkok, soldiers try to repair two dikes near the Khlong Maha Sawat in Thawi Watthana district. When the work is completed, the water level in the canal should drop.
• The Utthayan road in Nakhon Pathom has been flooded.
• The weirs in khlongs 10, 11 and 12 in Nong Chok district have been dismantled. This accelerates the discharge of water from the Rangsit channel to the sea. The city of Bangkok plans to do the same for the weirs in khlongs 9, 13 and 14. [What is meant by 'dismantle' is not clear to me. Why not just open?]
• Prime Minister Yingluck said again on Sunday that the situation in Bangkok will improve from Tuesday, provided that dikes do not fail. When the high tide is over, the maximum capacity of the water discharge can be used.
• A price measure has been announced for 16 products. Drinking water should not cost more than 7 baht for a 500-600cc plastic bottle and 14 baht for a 1,5 liter bottle. Sellers who charge more or withhold drinking water can face a hefty penalty.
• Two toll roads will remain free for an additional 2 weeks: the Bangkok-Chon Buri Motorway and the Bang Pa-in to Bang Phli Motorway.
• Several roads in Samut Prakan province were flooded on Sunday due to the high tide of 2,53 meters above mean sea level. The water, coming from the Chao Praya river, reached a height of half a meter in places. At the province's main fish market, Talad Hua Kod, the water was 1 meter high. Many fishmongers paid no heed and went on selling, reasoning that the water would recede at low tide in the evening. The town hall of Samut Prakan kept it dry thanks to a double flood wall.
• Tap water flows from the tap again 24 hours a day in Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Thon Buri. The water was rationed to solve quality problems.
• The 2.662 evacuees in the evacuation center at the Athlete Institute in Muang District (Chon Buri) are not getting all the fresh food that has been donated. Some are spoiled and had to be thrown away.
• The municipality of Bangkok is already considering what to do with the sand from the sandbags used to construct flood walls. It will be used in restoring the city. A spokesman for the municipality has no idea how many sandbags are involved. There are 800.000 sandbags in Sai Mai alone to reinforce the dike along Khlong Hok Wa. A sand company in Ayutthaya estimates that 100.000 cubic meters of sand was used in Bangkok, the same amount as in Ayutthaya.
• Today 3 million eggs come from Malaysia. They are sold at a set price. The shortage of eggs has been caused by less laying, panic buying by consumers and distribution problems.
• Although the Froc has left Don Mueang airport, some evacuees have stayed because they live in the nearby district of Don Muang.
• Sales of small electrical appliances have increased by 30 percent. Rice cookers, water filters, irons and fans are currently in high demand. Some buy them to donate to victims, others because they have moved to temporary shelter. The water filters work well because tap water is not trusted and bottled drinking water is hard to come by.
• The number of so-called non-performing loans (NPL) is expected to increase in the fourth quarter as a result of the floods. The banks will have to reserve extra money for these losses. Additional reservations are also necessary due to the higher risk of natural disasters and the slow global economy.