Flood crisis brought out hidden strengths
In the wake of gigantic waves of flood water, the power of communities has provided a guiding light and assured the public that a crisis - though big - need not be all that bad. When their communities were united and strong, people saw real hope.
“We will not wait for donations of relief items. We want allies in dredging canals and pumps to quickly take run-off water to the sea,” Ban Phaeo residents chorused as flood water drowned the homes of millions and left countless flood victims dependent on donations of food and other necessities.
Ban Phaeo is located in Samut Sakhon. When the huge volume of run-off from the North engulfed Nakhon Pathom and northwest Bangkok in October, it appeared certain that neighbouring Samut Sakhon was next. Yet, together, the Samut Sakhon residents and authorities proved they could beat all odds.
From early October, the citizens of this small province started having weekly meetings to discuss strategies to fight floods. They tallied the amount of water expected and surveyed the landscape to identify the best drainage routes. The 73 canals in Samut Sakhon running north to south would be crucial, so dredging began.
“Our people are supportive,” Samut Sakhon Deputy Governor Apichart Todilokvej says proudly. “Our province’s strengths are efficient local administration, a great private sector and a united people.”
When the plan for safeguarding the province was laid out, no local protested.
“That unity of opinion allowed us to tackle problems faster,” Apichart said.
The private sector in the province devised its own ideas to help too. One of their remarkable initiatives was the digging of a 100-metre “artificial canal” alongside Klong Bang Nam Jeud to help speed the floodwater along. All this effort resulted in at least four-fifths of Samut Sakhon staying dry, in dramatic contrast to its neighbours.
The exemplary community power has also shined in some other areas, including Pak Kret municipal area, from which food and relief items were delivered to its flooded neighbourhoods.
Elsewhere in dry areas, people from strong communities pitched in to ease the flood woes of affected people. They raised donations, cooked food, produced EM balls and more.
Educational institutes have extended help in many ways too. Apart from providing shelters to displaced flood victims, they created many useful items. Vocational schools created floating toilets. King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi and King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang unveiled new devices for testing electrical leaks in the hope of protecting flood victims from electrocution.
When and where the community power and the flow of kindness existed, the flood crisis was not at all too hard to handle.
