Chadchart assures measures in place to deal with rains at Vajira sinkhole

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Sunday that measures had been fully prepared to prevent rainwater from worsening the situation at the massive sinkhole on Samsen Road in front of Vajira Hospital.

Chadchart was speaking to reporters at noon while inspecting repair progress at the collapse site.

The sinkhole, measuring over 30 by 30 metres, appeared on Tuesday morning after soil was washed away by leaked water from a main tap water pipe into an underground subway construction tunnel.

Repair efforts

As part of the repair process, workers began pouring concrete on Friday night and continued until about 2am, placing more than 200 cubic metres in total. The concrete was poured gradually to control flow and ensure proper setting, creating a strong, stable base across the affected area.

Chadchart said officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had sealed drainage pipes that could allow water to flow into the sinkhole.

He explained that if rainfall exceeded 100 millimetres, water in the sinkhole would only reach about 10 centimetres deep. The situation would not be worrying, he said, because water pumps had already been installed to drain it.

Once the road is fully repaired, BMA officials will remove the blockages from the drainage pipes to restore normal rainwater drainage.

Traffic warning

The governor added that about 400 trucks would need to transport construction materials to the site on Monday, which could cause heavy traffic congestion in the area.

“I have to apologise in advance if traffic congestion occurs. More than 400 trucks will have to transport cement, sand, and other materials to the site,” Chadchart said.

He urged patients to travel to Vajira Hospital by public transport and avoid driving on Monday, when more than 3,000 outpatients are expected. However, he added that the actual number of patients might be fewer than expected.