Cable-laying mishap disrupts tap-water supply
Residents living along Bangkok's Ratchaprarop Rd and nearby areas were without tap water yesterday, after a backhoe damaged a section of pipe near the Makkasan intersection, causing the pipe to burst.
With the road, which houses many commercial buildings, under 30 centimetres of water, traffic backed up severely during the morning rush hour. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s drainage office urged the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority to repair the pipe, and dispatched officials to drain the water via Bueng Makkasan and to warn pedestrians away from drainage channels that had been opened up.
Ratchathewi district director Laksana Rojthamrong said the Metropolitan Electricity Authority was drilling in the area in preparation for laying underground electricity cables when the accident happened. At press time, officials had managed to stop the leak, and were repairing the tap-water pipe and advising motorists to avoid the area. Repairs to the pipe were expected to be complete later in the evening.
The incident caused a suspension of tap-water service in the following areas: Rajadamri Road from Ploenchit intersection to the Saen Saeb Canal; Chid Lom Road from Ploenchit to Saen Saeb Canal; Wireless Road from Ploenchit Intersection to the Saen Saeb Canal; Ratchaprarop Road from the Din Daeng junction to the Ploenchit intersection; both sides of Ratchatapan Road; Phetchaburi Road from Soi Phetchaburi 15-21; and from the Ratchathewi intersection to Pratunam Intersection.
