Blocking water not the answer, says AIT expert
Building concrete or sandbag barriers and using roads as embankment walls are not necessarily the right solutions because outlets are needed for water to drain away, an Asia Institute of Technology researcher said yesterday.
“The water pressure is massive and cannot simply be held back by temporary barriers and sandbag walls, which can collapse at any time, so I propose letting water flow naturally out to estuaries,” Suthas Weerasakul said.
He also said the attempt to drain water from the Chao Phraya River through the Chiang Rak Noi canal was not a good idea because the canal was higher than the river.
Suthas also said the National Flood Relief Centre report that the AIT compound was not flooded was incorrect.
The Hi-Tech Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya remains inundated and water levels are expected to rise further. The latest industrial estate to be hit is Navanakorn in Pathum Thani, immediately north of Bangkok. Also facing the risk of flooding are AIT, Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus and possibly Don Muang and Sai Mai districts in Bangkok, he said.
Uthen Chartphinyo, chief of a flood-drainage committee, said slums built on the banks of canals and rivers should be removed and the waterworks and electricity authorities should be punished for allowing the dwellers of these homes to use their utilities.
“How can tap water and electricity be legally provided to these slums?” he asked.
“The government must be brave enough to integrate the entire flood-management mechanism and consider dismantling these slums and relocating the occupants to National Housing Authority flats,” he said, adding: “But it depends on the government to do it now or after the floods ease.”
He was speaking after announcing a plan to drain water from the outskirts of eastern Bangkok via the Phra Ong Choo Chaiyanuchit, Pravet and Samrong canals in Samut Prakan.
Uthen said he would also propose building three drainage stations to keep Bang Phlu Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan dry. “This will prevent eastern Bangkok and Samut Prakan from getting flooded in the future.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha said the dredging of a canal intended as a short cut of the Tha Chin River in Nakhon Pathom was making good progress and should be completed in time. The Song Khanong Canal along with two others would double the amount water that can be drained, he said.
