Ex-governor candidate slams Aswin for Bangkok flooding woes
Move Forward Party’s former governor candidate, Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, on Thursday expressed his readiness to help Governor Chadchart Sittipunt fix the flood problem in metropolitan areas, while slamming the previous governor of mismanaging the budget earmarked for Bangkok’s Drainage and Sewerage Department.
In a Facebook post, Wiroj, a former party-list MP, said the previous governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, had poorly managed the budget for Bangkok’s water management during his term (2016-2022), resulting in floods and drainage problems plaguing the city almost every time heavy rains hit the city.
“The former governor had approved several water-related projects, including the construction of giant tunnels, flood retention areas, and new drainage facilities. Putting together these projects ended up costing more than the budget, resulting in constructions being delayed and eventually unfinished,” he said.
“Meanwhile, some projects had trouble finding qualified contractors as the specification requirements are too limited, as though they had been set to facilitate certain bidders only.”
Wiroj also pointed out that some of the projects only focus on the outcome without considering the impact on surrounding communities as a result there is a lack of participation from the public.
“The budget of the Drainage and Sewerage Department in 2023 had been set at 7.7 billion baht by Aswin. This time, under new Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, we need to disburse it carefully to fix the problems at their roots,” said Wiroj.
“Move Forward Party’s members of the city council in 13 districts are ready to work with the governor and district officials in surveying flood prone areas and plan the draining drill ahead of heavy rains to make sure that the water is drained as soon as possible.
“Move Forward Party will monitor budget disbursement closely at district and provincial levels to make sure that Bangkok has enough budget to tackle the flood problem,” he insisted.
Wiroj now serves as Move Forward Party's chief of Bangkok policy taskforce.