Thread: Bangkok Floods, 30th October, 2011-We're nearly through it: PM

Navy has evacuation plan if roads blocked - The Nation

Navy has evacuation plan if roads blocked

The Nation October 30, 2011 2:03 am


The Royal Thai Navy has readied its plan to evacuate Bangkok residents by sea if other means of transport are no longer practical, according to Commander-in-Chief Admiral Surasak Hoonrerng-rom.

The Navy chief said evacuees would be taken to the Navy school in nearby Samut Prakan province before being transported by sea to Chon Buri and other provinces.

However, this plan would only be used if land transport was not possible or inconvenient because of heavy flooding on roads.

The Navy has also provided a number of large rafts to serve as floating rescue centres in the western part of Bangkok, which has been heavily flooded over the past few days.

"Once the government issues its order for the Navy to help, we are ready to serve with our trucks and vessels. We believe that the government's Flood Relief Operation Command (FROC) has done its best to solve the flood crisis.

"We've mobilised a large number of personnel to help in 16 districts of Bangkok. During the high tide over this weekend, we're worried there could be floods in Bangkok along the banks of Chao Phraya River," he said.

FROC has set up five transport centres in Bangkok to help move the city's evacuees to other provinces. These are at the Thai-Japanese Sports Stadium in Din Daeng, plus Fashion Island shopping centre in Ramindra, Holland Brewery on Rama 2 Road, The Mall Bang Khae on Petchakasem Road and Wat Sri-eam near Bang Na Trad Road KM4.5.

Free transport will be provided for those who want to stay at the government's temporary shelters in nine provinces, namely, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Chachaengsao, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok and Nakhon Ratchasima.

There were few evacuees at each of these centres yesterday. Staff at the Thai-Japanese stadium reported about 100 people registered, while the Fashion Island centre reported only 24 people registered by yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Sukampol Suwannathat said the government had asked the Bangkok Mass Transit Agency to provide a total of 3,000 buses to transport evacuees.

In a worst-case scenario, as many as 350,000 people may want to leave Bangkok, he said.

On the road-digging plan, Sukampol said the government had decided it wasn't necessary because cutting sections of five roads in the east of Bangkok would not help drain more water into the sea.

FROC forced to move from Don Mueang - The Nation

FROC forced to move from Don Mueang

Chanikarn Poomhirun,
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung,
Samatcha Hoonsara
The Nation on Sunday October 30, 2011 2:03 am


Electricity and waterworks failures have forced the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) to evacuate its Don Mueang Airport headquarters and move into the Energy Complex Building.

FROC director and Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said that at 4am yesterday the deluge crashed into the walls. The water entered the electricity generator while the tap-water system could not operate.

The FROC officers were confused as they were abruptly told to move early in the morning. However, Pracha and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra later confirmed the order.

The move to the building, which houses the Energy Ministry and is also the PTT head office, was criticised as it is on the same road - Vibhavadi-Rangsit - and also possibly flooded.

Pracha refused to say if there would be another office move, or whether the government would announce more public holidays.

"We have to consider the situation daily. We cannot clearly predict," he said.

Pracha cited the threat from the Bang Bua Canal in Bang Khen district. The canal is part of the waterway and the surging water is likely to spill over Bangkok's 2.50-metre-high dykes with the likelihood of water levels reaching 2.65-metres due to the high tide.

"We cannot do anything with the embankment any more. If the sea tide makes the water level 2.65 metres high, that's 15 centimetres over [the dykes]. It's not that we just give in, we asked the BMA to pump the water out. This is nature and out of our control. Downpour [on Friday night] also worsened the situation," Pracha said, adding that water seeping through sewage pipes were also a problem.

Pracha said the worst crisis could be today or tomorrow when sea tides reach their highest levels.

On Wednesday, Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra told all the people to evacuate out of the Don Muang area. However, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the FROC would stay on.

Yingluck said yesterday she had eyed the Energy Complex Building as a back-up office but planned to keep the FROC at Don Muang Airport until the high-sea tide period passes tomorrow, to prevent interruption in the centre's work.

Both Yingluck and Pracha showed confidence in the Energy Complex Building's security.

High sandbag walls were laid around the building whose walls were also sealed with silicon to prevent water seeping. Besides setting up water pumps, nearby sewage pipes were also cleaned. People entering the building must use the steps to cross over the 50-centimetre-high sandbag walls at the entrance.

As entry to the building requires cards, reporters could not get into the new FROC office but had to wait on the first-floor lobby of the building.

Curbs on water in Thon Buri, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan - The Nation

Curbs on water in Thon Buri, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan

The Nation on Sunday October 30, 2011 2:03 am


Residents of parts of Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Bangkok's Thon Buri areas have been told to stock water as the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority would supply water only from 6am-9am and 5pm-8pm daily, the Flood Relief Operations Centre spokesman said yesterday.

"The areas to which the MEA would reduce water supplies include the western Nonthaburi districts of Muang, Pak Kret, Bang Bua Thong, Bang Yai and Bang Kruay districts. The other areas are Samut Prakan's Phra Pradaeng and Bangkok's Khlong San, Bangkok Noi, Rat Burana, Bang Khun Thian and Taling Chan," the FROC'S Tongthong Chandransu said.

The water was contaminated by the large amount of weeds gushing from Maha Sawat Canal to the MEA plant in Thon Buri. To ensure water quality, the MEA has to reduce its production from 900,000 cubic metres to 500,000 cubic metres daily, he said.

At other times of the day, the MEA has to spare water for prominent agencies such as hospitals, he said.

Other Nation updates....click on the links...

Kanchanaburi has room for 20,000 people: governor
The western province of Kanchanaburi will support 20,000 flood evacuees, deputy provincial governor Chaiwat Limwattana said yesterday.


Southerners making 200 bamboo rafts for victims
The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, local offices and local residents have joined forces to produce 200 bamboo rafts to aid flood victims in Central Thailand.


Prices shoot up
The price of essential goods has nearly doubled while some products are in short supply in the wake of massive flooding in Bangkok and nearby areas.


Wittaya assures good care for patients transferred from hospitals in Bangkok - The Nation
Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri assured yesterday that critical patients transferred from flood-hit hospitals to other places would receive good care and the ministry would arrange their trips home once flooding recedes.


Nonthaburi victims hit by spike in rents - The Nation
Apartment rents in Nonthaburi have spiralled up to five times more than the normal rates, inflicting another blow on flood-hit people, a source at the Commerce Ministry said yesterday.


Northern train services back on track - The Nation
Train services to the North from Bangkok resumed yesterday, while Southern train services remain suspended due to flooding of the railway tracks.

BMA proposes tubes to drain off water - The Nation

BMA proposes tubes to drain off water

By Thanatpong Khongsai

The Nation on Sunday October 30, 2011 2:04 am

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday urged the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) to place "siphon" water-drainage tubes under or on floodwalls to release water from Sai Mai district's Hok Wa Canal to eastern Bangkok and into the sea.

If done within a week, it could help prevent the inundation of 20 districts of inner Bangkok, BMA deputy governor Theerachon Manomaipibul said in his capacity as joint committee member for water drainage with the FROC.

He said the idea was proposed to the FROC during its meeting on Friday. He said it was not the sole responsibility of the BMA but also that of the Industry Ministry and the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority who had to find materials for the BMA to build the system. So far, they haven't got the materials, he added.

Warning that further delay would result in flooding in Chatuchak, Ram Inthra, Beaung Kum, Kannayao, Bang Kapi, Khlong Lat Phrao and Huai Kwang in the next couple of days, he said the "siphon" system, if installed within a week, should be able to prevent flooding in 20 districts of inner Bangkok.

Meanwhile, BMA Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday reported that the Chao Phraya River had risen to a record height of 2.48 meters from mean sea level and would be on watch for 2-3 days. The Royal Irrigation Department at 1pm reported that Chao Phraya River at Saphan Phut was lower, at 2.24 metres from mean sea level.

Sukhumbhand said Pathum Thani's Khlong Song water rose to 2.8 metres from mean sea level, while water at Thaveewattana Canal rose to 2.63 metres above mean sea level and Khlong Lat Phrao rose by 10.15cm.

The flood level at Bang Khen remained stable at 10cm-30cm, while some parts of Lat Phrao, Chatuchak and Wang Thong Lang districts were flooded. Sukhumbhand also expressed concern over the rising levels at waterways in eastern Bangkok's Min Buri, Lat Krabang, Nong Chok and Khlong Sam Wa districts.

The Thon Buri side wasn't yet totally submerged as predicted by some experts, he said while Bang Phlat and Thaveewattana districts were heavily flooded. Officials used sheet piles to repair busted floodwalls along Khong Mahasawat.

About 10,800 evacuees were staying at 84 shelters in 22 districts of Bangkok. He said Bangkok had completed its evacuation plan with 225 meeting points across Bangkok in order to move people out of the capital if necessary, he added.

As flood waters approached the inner area of Bangkok's Rattanakosin Island and the Tha Phrachan and Tha Chang piers were flooded at up to 20cm, BMA has placed two giant water pumps behind its new city hall near Khlong Lod. The building electricity system has been linked to a mobile electricity generator truck in preparation for high flood. Concrete blocks were piled up to protect the city hall's underground ventilation windows.

BMA drainage office officials were repairing busted floodwalls in western Bangkok throughout yesterday. Arunamarin Road, on the entrance to Siriraj Hospital, was in 1.5 metres of water. Many Santichonsongkhro community residents were evacuated in navy boats while some insisted on staying at home.

Khlong Sam Wa's three low-laying locations were under 20cm-80cm water yesterday, while Wat Yannawa and Charoen Krung Road were under 15-30cm flood due to the high-tide period. Small vehicles have been prohibited from those areas. At Soi Ram-Inthra 5, flood water seeping through sewage pipes inundated the Chaopor Seu shrine. Waters were 30cm deep while the Petchsiam community was inundated in 50cm of water, prompting some residents to evacuate.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday morning urged city police to alleviate traffic problems for people and send out patrolling officers to watch out for crimes after many areas of Bangkok were flooded. Deputy city police chief Pol Maj-General Worasak Noppasitthiporn reported that 63 traffic locations in Bangkok were inundated and 21 of them were impassable for small vehicles.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/loca...eat-downscaled

Size of flood threat downscaled

SMALLER MASS OF WATER HEADING TO CITY THAN FIRST FEARED

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra believes the overall flood situation in Bangkok will improve in the next few days although floodwaters have begun to spread to fresh areas in the capital.


WASHED OUT: Water continues to surge into Don Mueang airport, raising the flood level on the runways to between 80 and 90cm yesterday and forcing the Flood Relief Operations Centre to relocate. PHOTO: PATIPAT JANTHONG

The prime minister yesterday said the volume of run-off spreading from the north of Bangkok to the capital's inner areas is less than expected, although the overall water mass is still substantial.

She said the Flood Relief Operations Centre (Froc) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are working together to drain floodwaters into Khlong Thawi Wattana and Khlong Saen Saep.

She said a close watch is being kept on sea tides over the next few days and authorities would speed up the drainage of water to the sea.

"The situation should improve after Monday," she said.

Anond Snidvongs, director of the Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency, said the authorities could drain up to 70% of northern run-off reaching the capital of 200-300 million cubic metres per day. This would cause rising water levels of five centimetres a day on average.

The situation will carry on for about four weeks before stabilising.

Meanwhile, floods are still hitting Bangkok in the north, the west and the east.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday said floods are threatening Wang Thong Lang, Lat Phrao and Chatuchak districts, which have been placed under special watch.

Khlong Lat Phrao has now overflowed and inundated canalside communities in Wang Hin and Saphan Lek in Lat Phrao. The water in those areas is between five to 10cm high.

On Phahon Yothin Road, overflow from Don Muang reached Wat Phra Sri Mahathat in Bang Khen.

There are now 10,794 evacuees at 84 shelters in 22 districts of the capital. Officials have identified 225 gathering points in the event Bangkok residents will have to leave the capital.

Floodwaters have continued to rise in Thon Buri. Residents are evacuating from Thawi Watthana district.

Heavy floods are also forcing City Hall to prepare to evacuate residents from some areas of Taling Chan district after overflow from Khlong Maha Sawat inundated part of the Suan Pak area.

City Hall has also called for evacuations in Bang Phlad, which is mostly flooded.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority announced yesterday it would reduce tap water production in Thon Buri area to 600,000 cubic metres per day from 900,000 cubic metres due to heavy floods which affected the quality of raw water.

The authority will supply tap water twice a day, at 6am-9am and 5pm-8pm.

Pheu Thai MP Uthen Chartpinyo, who chairs a Froc committee overseeing efforts to drain floodwater, suggested all the west-facing sluice gates allowing run-off to flow into Khlong Saen Saep in Bangkok must be opened to divert water into the city's underground drainage tunnel in the Rama IX area.

Mr Uthen said sluice gates at Bang Chan and at Khlong Sam Wa in eastern Bangkok may have to be dismantled to allow run-off to flow into the tunnel.

Deputy Bangkok governor Thirachon Manomaipibul said yesterday the BMA has asked the Provincial Waterworks Authority and the Industry Ministry to supply equipment for use in "water siphoning techniques" to drain floodwater from lower ground to higher ground in eastern Bangkok.

Bangkok Post : Popular blue whales battle a sea of misinformation about crisis

Popular blue whales battle a sea of misinformation about crisis

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

A pod of animated blue whales has proved an online hit helping educate the public about the flood threat, amid a sea of what the producers say is misinformation and political double-talk.



Calculating that the amount of water hovering above Bangkok is the equivalent of 50 million blue whales trying to make their way into the Gulf of Thailand, the young animators have come up with a humorous _ and highly informative take _ on the problems the whales have navigating canals, rivers and urban settings.

It's a simple technique, however the Understanding Flooding video, which can be viewed on YouTube with English subtitles, works.

As of yesterday, the video, which was released on YouTube early last week, had over 600,000 hits, with 16,000 ''likes'' and only 60 ''dislikes''. The comments reflect a general opinion that the five-minute clip is fun and makes a complex issue easy to understand.

The video is a result of the producers' frustration about the information provided in the public arena about the flooding. Kriangkrai Vachiratamtorn, the founder of the animators' group Roo Su Flood (Know, Fight, Flood) said information released by the government and other agencies was not helping people prepare for the deluge.

'''We are not only being flooded by floodwaters, but also by information,'' said Mr Kriangkrai.

''There is a lot of information which is useless and which is mixed in with people's attitudes. I personally want information which really means something to me. And that's when I thought it was time to communicate about the flooding in a way that is helpful and easy to understand.''

Mr Kriangkrai is a graduate in mass communications, and a film director. He had the video-making skills, but not the scientific background to produce such a video.

The group sought the help of Thai PBS TV station and experts to come up with the video, which explains the causes of the flooding.

One challenge was how to convey the concept of the massive amount of floodwaters flowing towards Bangkok.

Mr Kriangkrai said they came up with several ideas before settling on a blue whale as their messenger.

''I think a whale can help people visualise something big, and if a whale was in their house, they would immediately understand the troubles they are facing.

''We put many whales in a house, a city, and such. From the responses we have obtained so far, it works.''

The group's next video project will cover issues such as how to measure water levels at home and preparing to live with flooding. The whale will not make a second appearance, despite its popularity.

''We speak about the matters that we also want to know too,'' said Mr Kriangkrai.

The video can be viewed at

Bangkok Post : Drainage system not up to task

Drainage system not up to task

CANALS BUILT TO TAKE LOCALISED FLOODS

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Bangkok has been struggling to divert floodwater out of the city because its water drainage system was developed mainly for handling localised flooding caused by heavy rainfall, not massive run-offs from the North, said former senior officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Bangkok invested heavily in its water drainage infrastructure after 1983 when major flooding hit the city.

Since then, canals and tunnels have been dug, retention ponds designated, and pump stations constructed to help drain the water.

The water drainage system is based on a polder system, where dykes are built around the city, and floodwaters are directed to the sea by pumps, water drainage canals and tunnels.

Polder systems have been developed mainly in inner Bangkok, the western side of the city, and the eastern side.

In inner Bangkok, a large polder has major roads and railways cutting through the Ramkhamhaeng and Phetchaburi areas, acting as its main dykes.

The polder is divided into more than 10 sub-polders where drainage canals and tunnels, pump stations and pumps help drain water out from the protected areas inside them.

The western side has a network of dykes along the Chao Phraya, and Mahasawas and Bangkok Noi canals preventing flooding from flowing into the protected areas inside the dykes.

In addition, a major water retention pond in the South can hold up to six million cubic metres of water.

On the eastern side, His Majesty the King's dyke, which runs north to south, and around 20 retention ponds help retain up to six million cubic metres of water before it is pumped out and drained to the sea. Seven giant tunnels have also been installed to help speed drainage.

Phichit Rattakul, former Bangkok governor, said the water drainage system was developed to fight flooding caused by rainfall and run-off from the North which generally head to the eastern side.

The main protection measures against run-off are HM King's dyke and Pasak Cholsid dam in Saraburi further northeast of Bangkok, which can help hold up to 800 million cubic metres of water.

The rest of the run-off usually goes to the Chao Phraya and Thachin rivers. But another mass of water is travelling to Bangkok from the North, and the city has hardly any infrastructure to cope.

Massive run-off above Bangkok needs floodways to travel through the city, but man-made objects block its path.

Suvannabhumi airport, for instance, is built below several major canals in the east, blocking water from flowing further down to the sea.

Mr Phichit said the city must develop more floodways from which run-off from the North can travel down to the sea.

Mr Phichit has proposed the idea of a second ''Chao Phraya''.

The idea was proposed some years ago but scrapped due to lack of support. ''Water needs to travel past Bangkok before going to the sea. Water can travel through Thachin or Bang Pakong rivers, but it will also travel past Bangkok.

''We need more ways to allow water to travel past the city,'' he said.

Mr Phichit said infrastructure should be developed to deal with heavy floods.

Mr Phichit, who is also executive director of the Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre, a regional non-profit organisation, said the city also needs to come up with disaster risk assessments, hazard maps, and better disaster warnings.

Chanchai Vitoonpanyakij, former deputy director of the Drainage and Sewerage Department, agreed Bangkok needs new infrastructure to cope with flooding from the North, especially more floodways to allow water to pass to the sea.

Some canals running through Bangkok come under the responsibility of the Irrigation Department, and Bangkok officials must ask for its help in diverting water away from the city.

A source at the government's Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc), which is handling the present flooding, said BMA officials started to join the team at Froc only in the second week.

The centre opened as flooding spread in Ayutthaya early this month.

Officials bickered as they had differing viewpoints on how to manage water. The Irrigation Department initially paid attention mainly to floodwaters in the rivers and tried to manage them, even as fields were left inundated.

''They are getting along now, but it's a bit too late,'' said the source.

Other Bangkok Post updates...click the link....

• Low supply, high rates for temporary homes
  30/10/2011 : Families forced out of their homes by floods and seeking temporary accommodation complain of limited supply and say city landlords are exploiting the situation by tying tenants to unfair lease conditions.

• Froc flees airport base as surge hits
  30/10/2011 : The Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) has been relocated from the inundated Don Mueang airport to the Energy Complex of the Energy Ministry at Lat Phrao intersection on Vibhavadi Rangsit road.

Porpich Porpich Julia T.

0.30 Water from Bangkhen canal flooded the road beside 8-floors building of Kasetsart University by 5cm.&rising up~ [at]Rawangpai

PhotoBlog - Thais use improvised rafts to float around in flooded Bangkok

Thais use improvised rafts to float around in flooded Bangkok


Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
Thai residents make their way across a flooded street near to the rising waters of the Chao Phraya river on October 29, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Around 370 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years with damages running as high as USD 6 billion which could increase as the floods swamp Bangkok.


Damir Sagolj / Reuters
Men paddle their makeshift raft through a flooded street in central Bangkok October 29, 2011. Receding floodwaters north of Bangkok have reduced the threat to the Thai capital, the prime minister said Saturday, but high tides in the Gulf of Thailand will still test the city's flood defences.


Damir Sagolj / Reuters
A man drinks water on a mattress floating along a flooded street in central Bangkok October 29, 2011. Receding floodwaters north of Bangkok have reduced the threat to the Thai capital, the prime minister said Saturday, but high tides in the Gulf of Thailand will still test the city's flood defences.


Aaron Favila / AP
Thai residents use an improvised raft as they move to higher ground along a flooded area in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. The complex network of flood defenses erected to shield Thailand's capital from the country's worst floods in nearly 60 years was put to the test Saturday as coastal high tides hit their peak.


Nicolas Asfouri / AFP - Getty Images
Local residents use rafts in an area near the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on October 29, 2011. Floods engulfing parts of the Thai capital should start to recede soon, the prime minister said on October 29, after barriers along Bangkok's swollen main river prevented a disastrous overflow.

From the story:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in her weekly radio address that floodwaters that had wreaked havoc to provinces north of Bangkok in the last several weeks had started to recede, and she urged citizens to let the crisis take its course.

"We have the good news that the situation in the central region has improved as runoff water gradually decreased," she said. "I thank people and urge them to be more patient in case this weekend is significant because of the high tide."

Read more...

Bangkok braced for further flood devastation as water level rises | World news | The Observer

Bangkok braced for further flood devastation as water level rises

Red Cross warns of 'humanitarian crisis' in Thailand's capital, as people face food shortages, illness and crocodile attacks


Bangkok residents wade through the city's flooded streets as water levels continue to rise. Photograph: Sakchai Lalit/AP

Wandee stands by the main road, now a knee-deep river, in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok, selling bottles of petrol to drivers as they inch their cars through the muddy water. Like the majority of the capital's residents, she is staying put despite evacuation orders following Thailand's worst floods in half a century and the waters continuing to rise. "We'll stay one more night," she said. "Well, unless it gets really high."

Bangkok faces a growing emergency. Flood defences were breached on Saturday in the Thonburi district, bringing water to the outskirts of the central tourist and business areas. The mighty Chao Phraya river, which wends through the city, is predicted to break its banks over the weekend when coastal tides swell its volume, threatening to inundate central areas.

The government has mobilised more than 50,000 soldiers, 1,000 trucks and 1,000 boats for the relief operation. Army trucks carrying residents through the water pass sandbag barriers stacked like shooting ranges. Along the roadside, entrepreneurs sell everything from wellington boots and lifejackets to blocks of foam and inflatable dinghies. Wandee is proud of the community spirit in the district. "We rely on each other, not the government," she said.

In a number of northern districts of the capital, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority has ordered evacuations. The city's governor, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, said this weekend was "a critical moment", and that "massive water is coming". Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she was only "50% confident that the inner zone of Bangkok will not be completely flooded".

The government has announced a five-day holiday to enable citizens to escape and emergency relief centres have been set up around the country. With all domestic flights booked up, public transport packed and the roads hectic, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have already left.

There are risks for those who stay. The Red Cross warns that the city faces a "potential humanitarian crisis" of water and mosquito-borne illnesses, and many shops have run out of essentials like bottled water, eggs and instant noodles. Danger also lurks in the water. As well as snakes and rats, there are scores of crocodiles which have escaped from flooded crocodile farms.

Nipapat, a market worker from the north of the city, told how she saw a crocodile attack a small child playing in the water. "The men in the neighbourhood hunted it down and killed it," she said.

The floods have had a devastating impact on the country. More than 380 people have been killed and a third of Thailand's provinces have suffered serious flooding, affecting 2.2 million people. The sheer scale of the problem is laid out in a popular flood-awareness cartoon, which explains that the volume of water, which has to drain from the north to the Gulf of Thailand, is equivalent to the weight of 50m blue whales. The cost of the floods is already estimated at 800bn baht (£16bn) and is likely to rise further.

The city of Chonburi, one hour south of Bangkok, has set up a relief centre in a sports centre to take some of the evacuees from the capital. The gym floor is a colourful patchwork of red mats, dome tents and sprawling bodies. Downstairs hordes of volunteers bustle about, handing out basic supplies, giving financial advice and even organising local trips to lift people's spirits.

For Luangjan, this is the second emergency centre she has been to – the first one was flooded a few days ago. She left Rangsit, north of Bangkok, last week with 10 family members. "The dam broke," she said. "The water was too fast and too strong to save anything." They ferried their family to dry ground in a giant plastic tub, before being picked up by one of the many army trucks criss-crossing the disaster zones.

She is worried about what will happen when they return – her hairdressing business has been flooded and she is sceptical about whether the government will provide any assistance. "When the floods stop they will only care about [big] business – not people like me," she said.

In Bangkok, taxi driver Bprasert was also sceptical about how the government can handle the crisis. He repeated a common criticism that there has been too much political conflict between Bangkok's governor and the prime minister, who both represent different political parties. "One says yes, the other no," he said. "They should work together, but they don't."

Bprasert slept in his taxi on Friday night, parked on the raised express way along with hundreds of other cars left on higher ground by their owners. His district in the south of the city was unaffected yesterday but he was worried that the flood would come soon. He complained that there was not enough information from the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) about where might flood next – and so, unsure of what is going to happen, he prefered to sleep in his car.

With the Chao Phraya river forecast to burst its banks and the prime minister warning that the water in the capital could last a month, the floods provide a real challenge to the new Thai government. For Luangjan, stuck in Chonburi however, it's very simple: "I just really want to go home and tidy up my house."

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority announced yesterday it would reduce tap water production in Thon Buri area to 600,000 cubic metres per day from 900,000 cubic metres due to heavy floods which affected the quality of raw water.

The authority will supply tap water twice a day, at 6am-9am and 5pm-8pm.

If you are in the affected areas don't drink the water for a week or two. Allow the system to be flushed out by others.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Will raw sewage be mixed with the water?

This is quite possible, as tanks and treatment facilities become inundated.

It's a certainty.

Thai premier calls for patience in flood-hit Bangkok - Monsters and Critics

Thai premier calls for patience in flood-hit Bangkok

Oct 30, 2011, 0:42 GMT


Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged flood-hit Bangkok residents to be patient and not destroy dykes, insisting that waters will recede soon, news reports said Sunday.

'The situation should improve after Monday,' she said Saturday night 'I believe we will be able to restore normalcy in a short time.'

Bangkok has been bracing for floods for weeks as a sea of water flows from the central provinces on the capital and towards the Gulf of Thailand.

Estimates of the amount of water threatening the metropolis vary between 4,000 million to 15,000 million cubic metres.

Bangkok has a drainage capacity of about 200-300 million cubic metres per day, meaning it will take weeks or months to free the city of the inundation, Anond Snidvongs, director of the Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency, told the Bangkok Post.

Efforts by authorities to keep the floodwaters out of inner Bangkok, the centre for government offices, business, embassies and retail outlets, have been hampered this weekend by the high level of the Chao Phraya River, which runs through the capital.

Some Bangkok neighbourhoods along the river were flooded up to a metre deep Saturday, especially Chinatown and the west bank, known as Thonburi.

The river embankment can withstand a water level below 2.5 metres. On Saturday, during the high tides in the Gulf of Thailand, the level reached 2.57 metres.

On Sunday it was expected to reach 2.65 metres, making more floods in the city inevitable.

'As for inner Bangkok, there is a possibility in the worse-case-scenario that there will be flooding of between 10 centimetres to 1.5 metres,' said Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, who heads the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC).

The Royal Irrigation Department on Saturday said if no more barriers rupture through November 6, central Bangkok could escape flooding.

Districts in northern Bangkok started flooding October 22, but the run-off from two months of flooding that began in northern Thailand was moving slowly into other parts of city. In satellite maps, central Bangkok appeared as an island surrounded by floods slowly draining south into the Gulf of Thailand.

Don Mueang Airport, which handles some domestic flights, has been closed for a week because of the floods, but Suvarnabhumi International Airport remained operational Sunday.

'The FROC is confident that the government will be able to protect Suvarnabhumi from the flooding,' Pracha told foreign diplomats Saturday.

But he added that the U-Tapao Airport in Chonburi, 130 kilometres south-east of Bangkok, had been put on standby to handle international flights should Suvarnabhumi be inundated.

FROC, set up on October 8 to coordinate the government's flood relief efforts, was forced to move its office from Don Mueang to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand building on Saturday.

This year's monsoon floods have been the worst in decades, claiming 377 dead and causing damages between an estimated 140 billion baht (4.6 billion dollars) to 500 billion baht (16.6 billion).

The central bank has lowered its gross domestic product forecast for 2011 due to the disaster, from 4.6 per cent growth to 2.6 per cent, assistant governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan said Friday.

TAN_Network TAN News Network

INN: Water level at Taweewattana Canal rises by another 20 centimeters

Bangkok Post : Khlong Prapa rising, blackish

Khlong Prapa rising, blackish

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 08:44 AM
• Online news:

This morning, the old Bangkok Post reporter pedalled his mountainbike from his home on Chaengwattana Rd behind Central shopping centre to investigate flood situation on Vibhavadi Rd at Lak Si as usual.



However, upon reaching Khlong Prapa intersecting with the road, the reporter could not go on as the canal, which supplies raw water to be made into tap water at Samsen plant, is innundated from flooded Lak Hok area due to angry residents destroying the canal dyke to the length of about 10 metres yesterday. Apparently, the MWA did not repair the damage overnight.

The rising water from Khlong Prapa now innundates Don Mueang side of Khlong Prapa again. The level at Lotus and Big C is about 20-30 cm. Small cars and motorcylces can navigate through slowly.



Biking back to investigate Pakkret, the old reporter saw cars, pickup trucks still single parking and double parking on any elevated roadway on Chaengwattan Rd including on Rama IV bridge, leaving only one narrow lane for navigation. The number of parked vehicles has declined yet again.

The Chao Phraya water level at Pakkret Municipality, north of Nonthaburi during high tide morning is as high as yesterday, the highest ever in living memory.

The current is moderate. It takes about 2-3 hours for the water mass from Pakkret to reach the heart of Bangkok.

arjanvandermeer Arjan van der Meer

Flooding on the north (odd) side of Ramintra is quickly expanding. Most sois in the first 4 kms seem to have 20 cms flood now.

TAN_Network TAN News Network

Dusit Poll shows almost 38% of respondents never thought Bangkok will be flooded

Juarawee Juarawee K. (Lina)

this is the VDO shows FROC unable to save dozens of donated supplies at Don Muang (boats/mobile toilet/relief packages) bit.ly/vRkYfU

TR [at]Neaw_NBC: Chao Phraya water lever measured at 7AM is 2.20m, bkk flooding has spread to Kaset Uni.

(oct29) in Rangsit Uni. http://twitpic.com/77xkb4 via [at]tommy_preem

Biz_TheNation Biz_TheNation

North-bound train services from Bangkok resumed yesterday,but flooded tracks keep south-bound service suspended

Saen Saap canal will be used to drain water from the flooded N.Bangkok into Chao Phraya river

If all BMA's flood walls hold up today-Nov.1,flood water in Bangplad should begin to recede along w/ the tides

Incoming flood water exceeds drainage volume yesterday,will continue for next few days due to rising sea tide

Flood water drainage rate towards E./W of Bkk at faster rate;Thonburi drains 70% of incoming water;raising water level 4-5 cm/day there

One-fourth (3,000) of the 12,000 mn cubic m. water mass in Thailand is engulfing Bangkok

Flood level at Don Muang Airport,Vibhavadi,Phaholyothin Rds to rise slightly for next few days

Cooler temp. in N,NE w/ scattered rain; widespread scattered heavy rain in eastern / southern provinces today-Oct 31

Diverting of flood water to E. Bangkok could put Lat Krabang Industrial Estate at risk,Dr Seri Supranit said

Juarawee Juarawee K. (Lina)

Uh-oh! Soi Srinakrin 45 TR [at]ktnews RT“[at]Rawangpai: RT [at]Pep_zii:ระดับน้ำ ซ.ศรีนครินทร์ 45 yfrog.com/h7dw3ydj

Biz_TheNation Biz_TheNation

Don Muang Airport fully inundated; water level Chao Phraya river at 2.49 m. early Sunday

Flood water seeping into Kasetsart Univeristy,Phaholyothin Rd

Bangkok Post : Flood hits Kasetsart University

Flood hits Kasetsart University

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 09:23 AM
• Online news:

The flood water on Sunday morning inundated Kasetsart University on Phahon Yothin road in Bangkok's Bang Khen district, reports said.

The water was about 40 centimetres deep, according to the reports.