Common-sense project with dual benefits
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When I was five years old, while others were watching cartoons, I watched government engineers "straighten" the river near our home. After that, the river flowed faster and didn't flood our house, as it had done every year before that.
Rivers in Thailand’s North flood because they flow too slowly into the Chao Phraya, which flows too slowly because it’s choked off at Klong Toey. Straightening the Chao Phraya would likely involve a tunnel network about a kilometre long, west of the port, which could increase flow and decrease the potential of flooding farther north. This would be a supreme engineering challenge, but would not be a mega-project. It would require more planning than money – which is why it would probably never be considered here.
A hydroelectric water tunnel generates its own energy, which powers huge pumps that push or pull the water through at an accelerated rate, and such a tunnel creates excess electricity, and thus pays for itself. The more tunnels, the faster the flow of the Chao Phraya, the more excess electricity for sale and the less chance of flooding.
Those wanting more detailed information can search online “how to straighten a river”, or they can watch cartoons instead.
Guy Baker
Bangkok
