Worries return as projects slow
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Plan to raise roads in Nakhon Pathom falls behind, official says
Although there has been much optimism about the government’s plans for raised roads to combat flooding, many locals are getting worried as the projects have yet to begin.
“No construction has started in the area to date,” Nanta Prasarnwong, a member of Nakhon Pathom’s Ban Lan Tak Fha Local Administration Organisation, told The Nation during a recent survey trip to inspect the progress of flood-prevention projects by the Transport Ministry.
She said the Rural Roads Department (RRD) was behind in its schedule for raising the road level in front of her organisation.
“How will the government protect us from floods this year?” she asked. “The rainy season has already started.”
Nanta, 42, said a construction firm was just named as the successful bidder for the project in her area and it would take a few more months for the firm to prepare machinery and equipment.
“I also have doubts about how authorities will drain flood water out of my village, which is located in the low-lying Thung Phra Pimol field. There is no barrier between the villages and any flood water that is pumped out from here can definitely flow back from other directions,” she said.
Thung Phra Pimol field covers 275,000 rai (44,000 hectares) in Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi.
The government has budgeted Bt24 billion for floodwalls and raising the surface of some 500 kilometres of roads. The mega-projects cover Bangkok and adjacent provinces such as Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom.
Chaiporn Promsuwan, the chief of the Royal Irrigation Department’s Phra Pimol Water Distribution and Maintenance project, said the RRD planned to raise the level of three roads.
“These roads will help protect the residential and economic zones in Thung Phra Pimol field,” Chaiporn said.
Under the plans, a 12km stretch of the Ban Kluai-Sai Noi road in Nonthaburi province will be raised about 20 centimetres and act as an embankment against water from Bang Bua Thong district. The two-lane road runs from the western part of Kanchanaphisek Road along the Phra Pimol canal.
Another road running 30km along the Phra Pimol canal to Mahasawat canal will be raised 80-90cm.
And barrier construction has been completed along some stretches of the Salaya-Nakhon Chaisi road in Nakhon Pathom, Chaiporn said.
The Phra Pimol project also calls for the installation of 69 pumps at 17 water stations, which would drain nearly 18 million cubic metres of water per day.
In a related development, the government has also planned to use Buddha Mondol IV and V roads in Nakhon Pathom as emergency canals, but construction has yet to start.
Suebpong Paisarnwattana, director of the Samut Sakhon Highway district, said the project has been categorised as not urgent.
He added that the Transport Ministry would only expand the width of Buddha Mondol IV and V roads from two to four lanes to alleviate traffic congestion.
