Flood problem starts in the northern rivers
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Looking at Thai newspapers today, one can hardly find what progress the government has made in preparing the country for the floods of 2012, which may come within the next few months.
The Yingluck government has set up two committees to try to prevent the country suffering heavy floods in the short- and long-term. But in reality it is simply trying to invent a pretext to set up yet more wasteful gargantuan state expenditure.
One of the reasons why last year’s flooding was especially heavy was the success of provinces in the North in preventing flooding in their communities: They dredged and channelled water in their provinces so successfully that saw heavy and rapid flows of water to Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
A sensible approach in preventing heavy floods in our country should be to dredge rivers and canals in Bangkok and surrounding areas and work upwards to the North. The government should tell the Northern provinces to stop dredging; and at the same time borrow equipment and expertise from them for use in the country’s lower areas. This way it would help greatly in alleviating the coming floods – and at the least cost to the government itself.
Looking at the current situation, it seems Thailand is facing a double whammy: A period in which the country is facing a cycle of seismic change; and the most incompetent and opportunistic government in its modern history.
Vint Chavala
Lamphun
