Bangkok racing to finish 32 drainage projects as flood battle looms
More than 30 water-management projects are due for completion this year in Bangkok, as the city braces for seasonal flooding from May to October.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reports that 32 new projects to increase drainage efficiency should be up and running before the end of 2022.
At a flood-mitigation meeting on Friday, the BMA revealed that the projects are divided into six categories:
- Two pipe jacking projects
- Eight drainage and gutter projects
- Three water banks
- Ten pumping wells
- Eight pumping station and floodgate projects
- One drainage tunnel
Nine areas in Bangkok are at high risk of floods while 48 other spots are being monitored for flooding, BMA deputy permanent secretary Narong Ruengsri explained.
He said the BMA was coordinating with district offices to solve flood problems in the at-risk and monitored zones.
Meanwhile, city workers are clearing drains, dredging canals and opening waterways to improve drainage during the rainy season.
Workers have so far cleared 58.61 per cent of Bangkok’s 3,000 kilometres of drainage ditches, the BMA said.
Meanwhile, 77.78 per cent of the city’s 398.6km canal network has been dredged while 71.98 per cent of its 1,600km of waterways have been opened.
Narong said he had ordered the Department of Drainage and Sewerage to monitor drainage-clearing operations and ensure they were completed on time for the flood season.
The department will also deploy water pumps and backhoes to tackle chronic flood problems on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road caused by construction of the MRT Pink Line.
Workers and contractors at the construction site have been ordered to build a barrier to prevent soil and building material from blocking drainage channels.