Heaviest rain in 25 years, governor says
THE BANGKOK governor yesterday blamed the heaviest rain in 25 years for flooding in many parts of the capital, while the prime minister urged reform of all flood prevention systems to solve the problem.
Up to 36 areas across Bangkok were inundated by heavy rain on Monday night. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said a record 182 millimetres fell in 24 hours in Khan Na Yao district. Some 142 millimetres fell in other parts of the city centre, such as Sathorn.
[For more photos and videos, please see: A Bad Day for Bangkok Commuters]
MR Sukhumbhand Paripatra, the city governor, said the amount of rain that has fallen in the first 21 days of June was double the average for the past 25 years, and the downpours on Monday night were short but very intense – so flooding could not be avoided.
“Yesterday the overall rainfall in 24 hours in Bangkok reached nearly 200 millimetres, so it caused 36 areas in the city to flood. But as of now we have already dried the flooding in 27 areas and there will be preparations, such as installing more water pumps and reducing the water level in the canals, to receive floodwater to prepare for the next rain,” Sukhumbhand said.
He said there was still the risk of heavy rain over the next few days, so the BMA has prepared by increasing its manpower and equipment to fight flooding in areas that are prone to such problems. The priority would be to prevent flooding on main roads first, and people’s houses were the second priority.
System needs reform, PM says
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said flooding was a chronic problem in Bangkok and the overall system needed to be reformed.
However, right now the government had to solve the problem at hand first in the 36 flood-prone areas.
“I would like to ask for consolation from the public.
“The government cannot just pump the water out and drain it in the sea. We are doing the best we can, but it would be unrealistic to [think we can] totally |prevent Bangkok from flooding,” he |said.
Sukhumbhand said: “We have to admit that we are in a water city and the water will always flow to the lower areas”. So, he apologised for any inconvenience that may cause in the future.
Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said draining floodwater was a slow and tough job because of Bangkok was built on low-lying land. So, he asked people to encourage officials and not blame them for these problems.
However, Sasin Chalermlarp, chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, said we should not blame the topography of Bangkok for flooding – it was actually the lack of a proper drainage system that caused flooding “and we need to fix this problem”.
“Even if Bangkok is situated in Doi Inthanon (the highest mountain in Thailand), there would still be floods, if our drainage system remains like this,” Sasin said.
