Sandbag wall at Hok Wa Canal could complete in 48 hours: BKK governor
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Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra on Tuesday said the reinforcement of the sandbag wall at Hok Wa Canal would be finished within the 48 hours set to prevent flood waters from overflowing into Sai Mai and Don Muang districts.
He was speaking in a press conference after visiting the site where the wall was being reinforced this morning.
He warned Bangkok residents on Monday to stay calm and keep monitoring the situation during the next 48 hours during which he would have the existing walls along Sam Wa canal reinforced from half a metre to three metres in height over a six-km stretch.
New three-metre barriers must be built along Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve canals for a 15-km distance.
The governor said two of planned six-km stretch of walls had already been finished and the rest could possibly be finished within 48 hours.
The government already has 800,000 sand sacks for the work, said Sukhumand, who earlier said he needed one million sandbags for the work.
He told reporters if the work at Hok Wa Canal finished in time the works at five canals may not be necessary.
Dismissing the conflicts between his office and the government on the handling of the flood situation, the governor said both have same data and information but they have different interpretations.
He said Bangkok will not suddenly be under water and the floodwater would not abruptly flow into the capital as has happened in other provinces because his office believed in the government’s handling of the situation.
“I would like to ask people to listen to me only. I never think that Bangkok is safe. We will closely monitor the situation and be alert,” he said.
Some 1,500 people, reportedly from many districts, crowded into a school in Don Muang district, which is used as a packing site for sandbags. Helping to do the work were soldiers, district staff and government officials.
