Short flood news 7 December
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Between 80 and 100 neighborhoods in Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi are still under water. Prime Minister Yingluck says they need to be drained quickly so residents can go home in time to celebrate a 'happy' New Year.
– The government takes to heart the advice of the king on water management that he gave in his birthday speech. The king made an appeal to work together to solve the problems and to initiate projects for sustainable water management. The king also called on the population to put aside differences of opinion and support each other.
– The Minister of the Interior has been instructed to supervise the drainage of all still flooded areas and to speed up the work. The Ministry of Finance is considering how best to help owners of flooded homes, cars and motorcycles. The Minister of Justice has been instructed to resolve conflicts between residents who are still in the water peacefully and with understanding.
– Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra says the municipality will delve into details of royal projects introduced in 1995 to prevent flooding. The municipality wants to know how they can be applied now. The municipality will also form a committee that, in collaboration with the government and the provinces, will make preparations for possible floods next year.
– Prime Minister Yingluck has commissioned the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to draw up a master plan for short-term sustainable water management. The plan must be submitted to the Strategic Committee for Water Management set up by the government within 2 weeks. The prime minister is confident that Bangkok will keep its feet dry next year when the plan is realized. The secretary of the NESDB says the plan will include proposals for technical solutions, a database system to forecast water volumes, construction of water storage areas, compensation, city planning, management organization and funding sources.
– The government has earmarked 120 billion baht for repairs, but many government departments have requested amounts that far exceed the budget. The Budget Bureau asks a special cabinet meeting to make a decision on this and to prevent projects from overlapping. An amount of 50 million baht has already been approved by the cabinet and an amount of 45,8 million baht has been reserved for the recovery of the economy.
– The army says it is willing to dig kaem ling (monkey cheeks), small water storage areas.
– Pramote Maiklad, former director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, calls for water experts and engineers to be brought together to brainstorm on water management measures. Floodway construction should be a priority, he says. Not only from the current but also from the next governments. He further emphasizes that a serious effort must be made to correct unregulated urban development, which is partly responsible for the severe flooding.
Isn't it moving, all those beautiful plans? I wonder what will become of it. Past advice from the king has also been ignored. For example, he has advised against the construction of industrial estates in Ayutthaya, because in the past this province always collected water during the rainy season. And also against the current location of Suvarnabhumi airport which blocks the water flow from the north.
What surprises me is that plans from 1995 are now being examined from the practical side and actual implementation. Then I read that unbridled housing construction is being stopped? But between the lines you can read that everything that could go wrong went wrong, while the long-standing shortcomings were sufficiently known in advance. I too will be curious to see what comes of all the good intentions. Is no foreign expertise requested, or is that not an issue? The Dutch hydraulic engineering agencies, with qualified ir. and ing., could possibly play a role in this. Or is the latter an illusion?
Continue to follow with interest.
Dick C .
The only foreign expert report I have is the following:
Japanese experts weigh in on flooding
November 27 – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will update a flood control plan for the Chao Praya River Basin created between 1996 and 1999. The revision also consists of a detailed study of current flood data.
Jica says Thailand needs efficient forecasting and analysis of flood cycles to take new precautions. Different cycles should lead to different measures. For example, industrial sites in the Chao Praya basin flood every 10 years. Preventive measures should be based on this forecast. According to Jica, the management of the reservoirs, seen by others as a major cause of the floods, was of secondary importance this year. The overhaul will take 18 months to begin next month in collaboration with the Royal Irrigation Department and the Water Resources Department.
Hi Dick,
This is a truth as a cow!! the Thai government must indeed have the knowledge and experience of the Netherlands because we have proven in the past that we are the best in the world.
Martin
I don't envy them, the Dutch experts who would lend a hand here. You will have to work together with many ministries and many departments within them, all of which are involved in water management. About involving the Netherlands, I have only read that the Netherlands has offered to help. Thailand has considered the offer. Perhaps the damned 'losing face' deters Thailand from taking advantage of this.