Bangkok set to get two more water banks by yearend
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced on Monday that it was building two more “water banks” in areas that face the risk of flooding. The new water retention areas are scheduled to be completed by December.
Bangkok already has three water banks, one under the Bang Khen roundabout which has been storing water since 2019. This bank has helped keep the Bang Khen-Chaeng Watthana areas dry. The second is under the Asok-Din Daeng Road at the entrance of Soi Sutthiphorn 2 and the third in the Setthakit housing estate in Bang Khae district.
The two new water banks will be built near the Ratchadaphisek and Vibhavadi Rangsit roads and the other at the intersection of Srinakarin and Krungthep Kreetha roads.
The five banks will have a total capacity to hold up to 27,030 cubic metres of water.
The construction of water banks, or large artesian wells to store water, is the brainchild of Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang, who was inspired by a similar setup in Japan.
Torrential rain and run-offs from the North, as well as high tide affecting local tributaries of the Chao Phraya, often leave many areas in the capital inundated. The city’s sewerage system is also unable to drain the water, while natural aquifers that once helped drain the city have been replaced by roads.
Related news:
- Keep your eyes on the water level, BMA warns people along Maha Sawat canal
- BMA officials checking Chao Phraya’s flood levees, water levels not yet at danger mark
- Health Ministry striving to solve flooded-hospital problem
