Canal-side roads collapsing
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AS DROUGHT continues to hit Thailand, some 88 canal-side roads in Pathum Thani province have developed cracks and subsided.
It is believed that the cracks were caused by a sharp drop in the underground water levels.
In Nong Sua district alone, 38 canal-side road sections have been damaged, particularly along Klong Rapeepat, while Klong Luang district saw the collapse of 40 canal-side road sections.
The Royal Irrigation Depart-ment (RID) assigned a working team on Monday to probe the collapsed roads. It suspects that part of the blame could be placed on farmers who’d pumped out too much water, causing a sharp drop in water level and subsequent subsidence.
Other roads along irrigation waterways were also cracking – such as Ayutthaya’s Mai Tra-Lat Bua Luang Road. Irrigation Office 11 chief Somsak Ketjamnong inspected it yesterday and said the ongoing repair work should be complete later this week.
In Bangkok, five road sections in Nong Chok district, each 200 metres long, subsided yesterday, leaving city workers to repair them.
In Ayutthaya’s Sena district, residents in Tambon Chaina’s four villages had taken turns in pumping water from a Klong 3 canal for rice growing by one village at a time – before it ran dry yesterday.
Moo 2 farmer Anurak Deesawat said his village was equipped with seven pumps and farmers were splitting the cost of gasoline. However, as they were pumping water for the second day, the canal dried up. Anurak said 2,000 rai of rice fields there would die.
Ayutthaya governor Apichat Todilokvech said six provincial governors would talk today with Chai Nat’s Irrigation Office 12 about water management and how dams will release water so they can adjust their plans accordingly.
In Buri Ram’s Nang Rong district, the “worst drought in 40 years” caused the 400-rai Nong Tha Lok to dry up, affecting water works and thousands of rai of farmland.
Officials have diverted water from Lam Nam Mas to boost tap water, but that was also getting low and may only last a month if there is no rain.
