Thread: Bangkok Floods, 3rd November, 2011-More closures, evacuation as waters enter

Govt dismisses health fears - The Nation

Govt dismisses health fears

Chularat Saengpassa
Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul
The Nation November 3, 2011 1:09 am



Stinking water 'poses little threat'; Disease fatalities are minimal so far

Despite filthy stagnant floodwater spreading in many provinces, the government yesterday tried to play down fears of a public health crisis, citing the "success" in avoiding outbreak of fatal communicable diseases like leptospirosis and cholera.

Disease Control Department (DCD) director general Porntep Siriwanarangsun yesterday assured the public that although incidences of communicable diseases were detected during the ongoing flood crisis, they did not pose a serious threat.

Of more than 2.1 million Thais seriously affected by floods, fewer than 100,000 are staying at government shelters. That means at least 2 million people have been making do on their own, taking care of their own foods, drinks as well as hygiene. Many have had to live with no electricity and clean water has been scarce. Garbage has been accumulating, but it is not the only reason why floodwaters in many areas have become almost unbearably smelly.

Concerns have grown about the government's ability to cope with an exploding health emergency, as the Flood Relief Operations Centre is structured primarily for water management and immediate rescue operations. FROC's reach has proved very limited in rescue activities, let alone dealing with a health crisis at a time when a large number of people could be exposed to diseases, hospital personnel have been stretched or affected by floods themselves, and transport proven difficult.

The government, however, expressed confident that the situation is still under control. "We have been monitoring the situation. Some cases are detected but the diseases are not spreading among a big group of people," Porntep pointed out.

Public fear about health risks during the ongoing floods has increased lately after international agencies such as World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have voiced concerns.

Matthew Cochrane, communications and advocacy manager, SouthEast Asia at IFRC, was quoted by CNN a few days ago as warning of diseases such as diarrhoea, dengue fever and malaria in the coming days and weeks in floodhit areas.

"There are places on the outskirts of Bangkok and in other parts of the country which have been flooded for nearly two weeks," he was quoted as speaking.

Pornthep yesterday said to date, common diseases found among the flood victims at 160 evacuation centres were just mere cold, diarrhoea, and conjunctivitis.

"No dysentery. No typhoid," he said.

He disclosed that one case of cholera was detected in Bangkok's Prawet district but disease control measures were already put in place there.

"We are confident that there will be no outbreak of cholera in Bangkok," he said.

Asked if a large number of people would catch cholera if some cholerainfected human faeces were dropped into floodwater, Pornthep said, "If you don't directly contact the infected stuff or put it into your mouth, there's no significant risk. But to play safe, please eat only fully cooked and safe food".

On leptospirosis, Pornthep said some cases were detected in Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet with two deaths reported.

"However, their deaths are not related to flooding," he said, "They caught the disease after they went back to their farms. Floodwater has already subsided".

Leptospirosis is a dangerous disease. Infected people may succumb within seven days if they do not receive proper treatment.

Pornthep said available statistics from floodhit foreign countries showed about one per cent of floodvictim population would come down with leptospirosis.

He, therefore, believed that Thailand would see more than 10,000 people catching the disease because flooding has already directly affected about one million people in the country. He also believed most patients would be the residents of Bangkok and its adjacent provinces.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.

Leptospirosis can be transmitted by many animals such as rats. It is transmitted though contact with infected soil or water. The soil or water is contaminated with the waste products of an infected animal. People contract the disease by either ingesting contaminated food or water or by broken skin and mucous membrane (eyes, nose, sinuses, mouth) contact with the contaminated water or soil.

"Rats won't run around when floodwater is high. But once floodwater subsides, people must quickly dispose of garbage or else rats will show up and spread the disease," Pornthep said.

Currently, runoff water from the upper part of the country is crashing down on Bangkok and its adjacent provinces. A large number of city residents have now lived in their seriouslyflooded homes.

Asked about infected waste at hosiptals, Pornthep said hospitals were already instructed about how to safely dispose such waste in flood time.

"The risk of contracting serious diseases from infected waste is almost nil," he said.

Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said DCD had received Bt7 million for the urgent mission of controlling the communicable diseases during the flood.

Pollution Control Department deputy director general Worasat Apaipong estimated that flood victims would accumulate about 1.45 million tonnes of garbage during floods for the authorities to tackle once floodwater subsided.

"There will be damaged furniture items and electric appliances to tackle," he said.

PhotoBlog - Authorities warn of electrocution risk as flooding continues in Thailand

Authorities warn of electrocution risk as flooding continues in Thailand


Damir Sagolj / Reuters
Soldiers drive armoured vehicles through a flooded street as they move them to higher ground in Bangkok on Nov. 2..Thai authorities tried to stem growing anger among flood victims on Tuesday as water swamped new neighbourhoods and the government began mapping out a plan costing billions of dollars to prevent a repeat disaster and secure investor confidence.


Altaf Qadri / AP
A Thai roadside vendor sits on a platform of her submerged shop in a flooded neighborhood in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Nov. 2.


Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP - Getty Images
A Thai man washes in floodwaters along the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on Nov. 2. Thai authorities warned flood victims of an increased danger of electrocution in densely populated Bangkok and its suburbs as the toll from the worst inundation in decades surged above 400.


Reuters
Residents receive water from soldiers as they stand on a flooded street in Bangkok on November 2. Authorities in the Thai capital repaired a damaged flood gate on Wednesday that has become the focus of anger, fear and rivalry between arms of government battling the country's worst floods in decades.


Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP - Getty Images
A boy plays over floodwater along the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on November 2. Thai authorities warned flood victims of an increased danger of electrocution in densely populated Bangkok and its suburbs as the toll from the worst inundation in decades surged above 400.


Apichart Weerawong / AP
Thai flood victims who took shelter at Don Muang airport swim in the floodwater next to a parking ramp in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, Nov. 2. Monsoon rains since July have inundated a third of Thailand, costing billions of dollars in damage to submerged homes, businesses and crops. The worst-hit provinces are just north of Bangkok, but floodwaters began swamping districts on the capital's northern outskirts last month.

John Makely writes

The flooding is also having a severe effect on the economy in Thailand, for more on the story click here.

Min Buri factories prepare for deluge - The Nation

Min Buri factories prepare for deluge

The Nation November 3, 2011 1:04 am



Though floods have not reached Bang Chan Industrial Estate, many factories in Min Buri have been temporarily closed, while those that are still open only operate during the day, the estate's office director Prapas Khlaisri said yesterday.

At present, troops are guarding and reinforcing flood barriers around the estate, which has 93 factories, employing 13,800 workers, with a total investment of Bt19.844 billion, he said.

Other Nation updates, click on the links...

North, Northeast buses to be re-routed
Buses bound for the North and Northeast will be re-routed because of floods, the Transport Co announced yesterday.

Agency to distribute drinking water
The Groundwater Resources Department will distribute at least 100,000 bottles of drinking water every day free of charge in 11 Bangkok districts, department chief Praneet Roibang said yesterday,..

China sends 500 boats
Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday that 500 motorised rubber dinghies were being flown in from China and that Japan had informed him that it had earmarked Bt380 million in aid..

Animals in danger as Safari World submerged
Flood water inundated half of the 500-rai Safari World on Tuesday evening after the upstream Klong Sam Wa sluice gate was raised to 1 metre from the normal 0.8 metre after a road was blocked by angry residents.

BMA repairs watergate amid strong police presence - The Nation

BMA repairs watergate amid strong police presence

THANATPONG KHONGSAI,
ATAPOOM ONGKULNA,
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK
THE NATION November 3, 2011 1:04 am



Bangkok Metropolitan Administration workers successfully repaired the Klong Sam Wa sluice gate yesterday afternoon, amid tight security provided by 400 police officers.

After the government order to raise the gate to 1 metre in the wake of a road blockage by angry residents, some of whom damaged the earth levee at the gate to release flood water from their communities, BMA workers repaired the damaged part, using wooden pillars, sandbags and 10 sheet plies.

BMA Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said it had to be fixed quickly or the Ram Inthra and Ramkhamhaeng areas of the capital would be affected.

Saying the decision to raise the gate had been made by a committee of the national Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC), he said the BMA would act accordingly and, if it had to be raised, then the Klong 8 and Klong 10 sluice gates should be slightly lowered.

He insisted the BMA had no dispute with the FROC. Sukhumbhand also visited Sammakorn Housing Estate, which found itself under metre-deep water after the Klong Sam Wa gate was raised.

The water level outside the sluice gate was at 1.89 metres above mean sea level, while the level inside was 1.25 metres, a source said.

First Army Region commander Lt-General Udomdetch Sitabutr in the late afternoon visited the Klong Sam Wa gate and, although expressing satisfaction about the progress made and management, said he was concerned about downstream Bang Chan Industrial Estate. It had no earth floodwall and was only protected by the sandbag barriers built by soldiers in the past two weeks.

He readied manpower to move important machinery from the estate should flood water reach factories and rise to 80 centimetres, and prepared for an evacuation if the water rose to 1 metre.

Meanwhile, about 300 police officers will continue guarding the Klong Sam Wa watergate around the clock to prevent any further destruction of the levee, or people clashing or blocking the road, said spokesman Pol Maj-General Piya Uthayo.

Police have also opened hotline 1599 for people to seek help and complain about theft or traffic being blocked, he said, adding that they would tow away any vehicles parked on expressways and overpasses and blocking traffic.

National police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong yesterday received Bt1 million in flood aid from the Taiwan Association of Thailand. Khon Kaen Provincial Police gave 25 fibreglass boats, 200 sets of goods and 200 blankets to flood-hit areas, and Chor Heng Noodle factory donated two boats for police use in helping victims.

Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit said the Klong Sam Wa sluice-gate dispute would not spiral out of control, because people did not intend to harm one another and were merely concerned about the flooding.

He said it was necessary for them to talk to one another, and added that the prime minister had assigned him to meet with Klong Sam Wa residents.

Min Buri MP Wicharn Minchainan urged the BMA governor to talk with Klong Sam Wa residents, as no agency had explained the problems concerning the water level and direction to them.

The sluice gate's opening to 1 metre should not greatly affect those behind the gate, especially those in Bang Chan Industrial Estate, he said.

Wicharn urged the BMA to investigate the communities' alleged encroachment on canal banks, which affected water flow, especially along the Phra-ongchao, Chaiyanuchit and Premprachakorn canals.

Klong Sam Wa resident-cum-protester Sombat Samanna yesterday accused the government of trying to make residents living near the watergate scapegoats for the flood water that was spreading deeper into Bangkok.

Local residents had demanded that the height of the gate at Klong Sam Wa in the northeastern edge of the capital be opened, and the prime minister yielded on Monday afternoon after some skirmishes.

Despite this, protesters dug up a metre-wide channel next to the gate to allow more flood water to be released towards inner Bangkok's Saen Saeb Canal.

By yesterday afternoon, the police and BMA officials decided to move in to fix the gate and fill in the dug-up channel after the BMA warned that leaving Klong Sam Wa sluice gate open could eventually lead to flooding all over the rest of Bangkok.

Sombat said local residents were not convinced that the spread of flood water in eastern Bangkok was the result of their gate being raised, and claimed that water was seeping into nearby areas, including Bang Chan Industrial Estate, from elsewhere.

PhotoBlog - Surreal sight amid Bangkok floodwaters


Altaf Qadri / AP
A cutout of an online game character stands amid floodwaters on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, on November 2.

Surreal sight amid Bangkok floodwaters

See more images of the Thailand floods on PhotoBlog.

Thai Authorities,Companies Blamed for Extent of Flood Damage - WSJ.com

• ASIA NEWS
• NOVEMBER 2, 2011, 1:00 P.M. ET

Thai Authorities, Companies Blamed for Extent of Flood Damage

By JAMES HOOKWAY


Wilawan Watcharasakwet /The Wall Street Journal Canon and Hana Microelectronics factories were flooded in Ayutthaya, one of the worst-hit ares in Thailand.

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand—Workers at Japanese tech firm Nidec Corp.'s plant have a novel remedy for the flooding crisis that has shut thousands of factories here: They're piling up boxes of delicate motors for hard-disk drives on narrow wooden boats and ferrying them across a flooded plain to a truck waiting to take them to Bangkok.

The effort underscores the lengths to which some companies are going to preserve what they can amid Thailand's worst flooding in decades. But a key question emerges: Are the companies themselves partly to blame for some of the economic cost of the disaster?

Some experts say yes, and that the international impact of Thailand's floods should serve as a warning to other companies world-wide. Many have come to rely heavily on thin supply chains for their most critical components, especially in areas, such as Thailand or Japan, that are vulnerable to disasters.

Many companies "never step back and never see the big picture, and see where the potential problems in their supply chains might be; and this is especially true as these supply chains become more geographically dispersed," says Yogesh Malik, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

"There are geological fault lines in places like Japan, and something someday might go wrong—these are knowable things," Mr. Malik said. "Supply-chain managers, though, they like to live on the edge fighting today's fires when they should be anticipating what could go wrong and learn to be more agile."

Thailand's flooding disaster has ricocheted around the world in ways few businesses expected. About a quarter of the world's hard-drive output is under water, driving up prices of computers and other high-tech equipment. Japanese auto maker Honda Motor Co.'s main Thai plant is semi-submerged, choking off the supply of key components to factories around the world.

The latest victim: Honda's factory in Brazil, where Japan's Nikkei daily reported that the company is preparing to cut production by almost a third to help conserve crucial components.

Floodwaters are gradually receding in a few of the worst-hit provinces, where at least 427 people were killed. But the recriminations continue about how the monsoon rains turned into such a devastating setback for the economy. In still-deluged parts of Bangkok, angry residents question why their homes were sacrificed to keep the remaining industrial sites dry.

It's widely agreed that Thai authorities share at least some of the blame for allowing extensive development in a floodplain without fully accounting for potential drainage problems in a country that floods regularly.

Some analysts here predict Japanese companies, Thailand's biggest foreign investors, will lean heavily on Thai authorities to do more to bolster flood defenses. Otherwise, they fear insurance concerns will be reluctant to offer coverage, forcing manufacturers to move out of the country, says Supavud Saicheua, an economist with Bangkok's Phatra Securities PCL.

Already, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is moving to reassure investors by pledging a large chunk of a proposed 800 billion baht, or $26 billion, recovery fund to developing better water-management systems. She tried to deflect some of the blame for the crisis, saying that by the time she took office after winning a July election, Thailand's dams and reservoirs already were full.

Yet supply-chain experts say much of the global impact of the disaster could have been averted if the companies themselves hadn't been so focused on saving money with lean supply chains.

In all, seven of Thailand's important industrial parks are flooded, knocking as much as two percentage points off its economic growth this year and wreaking havoc on the earnings outlook of many of the Japanese companies that have flocked here since the 1980s. Another industrial park was threatened with flooding Wednesday at Bang Chan in eastern Bangkok, after residents upstream tore down a flood barrier that had diverted deep floodwaters into their neighborhood for weeks, leaving Bangkok's local leaders to choose between the welfare of individual people or saving a key economic asset. They chose to rebuild the barrier.

"The conditions here are terrible," said Narongsak Srisawas, 45 years old, as he squatted on a rickety wooden raft outside his submerged home while soldiers helped rebuild a damaged flood-gate and later stood guard over the structure. "There are no toilet facilities, and there are leeches infesting the place. We had to make a protest."

With floodwaters continuing to rise in parts of Bangkok,some companies are taking steps to limit supply disruptions from natural disasters.

Speaking to reporters last week, Nidec's President, Shigenubu Nagamori, said that the company wanted to diversify its production base but that key customers in Thailand had wanted the company to manufacture locally. Nidec is now increasing its output at plants in the Philippines and China even as staff in Ayutthaya paddle out to salvage what they can from the plant.

Other companies said they were assessing their own procedures to prevent flood damage.

As the floodwaters were rolling toward Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital north of Bangkok, semiconductor Hana Microelectronics PCL moved quickly to mitigate the threat. In early October, staff moved equipment up to the second floor of the company's plant, and moved out other components and inventory to other complexes in northern Thailand and Bangkok.

For the equipment too heavy to move, the company tried to build a water-tight room within the building, but the flood walls at the Hi-Tech Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya collapsed. "We will only know if our plan will work if and when the [estate] is actually flooded," Hana chief financial officer Terry Weir told the Thai stock exchange on Oct. 7.

Several weeks later, it still wasn't clear if the moves were sufficient.

"The water-right room was only partially successful, but we were able to slow the water coming and use pumps to pump it out," Hana chief executive Richard Han told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday. "We have been able to keep the level in that room much lower than the natural level and reduce the damage to equipment, but we still don't know if, finally, it was worth it or not until the equipment supplier can inspect the damage."

veen_NT veena T.

(1.29am) Water seeps through drainages on Ratchayothin Rd. TR [at]Annanop in front of Supalai condominium pic.twitter.com/uyOPUkqw

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/loca...-to-city-heart

Northern floodwater continues march to city heart

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Floodwater from the northern outskirts of the capital continues to flow deeper towards the heart of Bangkok while its western side has been widely inundated and will need over a month to drain.



Floodwater from the northern outskirts of the capital yesterday covered the whole of Khu Bon Road and the level was rising.

Floodwater at the 8th kilometre marker of Ram Intra Road was knee-deep and expanded to the Jorakhay Bua post office on the end section of Navamin Road.

The Bang Khen police station reported floodwater was 40-65 centimetres deep on Sukhaphiban 5 Road, Ram Intra 8, 27, 29 and 39 roads, Chaeng Watthana Road near the Laksi roundabout, and Ngam Wong Wan Road adjacent to Kasetsart University.


Plodprasop: West faces total inundation

The Kannayao police station reported floodwater had reached a depth of 20cm to 60cm in housing estates on Khu Bon 27 Road while Vacharapol Road was 30-80cm under water.

Floodwater also reached the Safari World zoo in Klong Sam Wa district. It was 30cm deep there yesterday and zoo staff tried to pump water out of the compound. The zoo was closed yesterday and animals were evacuated to higher ground within the compound.

The central government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road was relatively deserted yesterday as most officials were unable to reach their flooded workplaces there.

However, about 3,000 flood evacuees remained in shelters in the government complex.

As water was crossing over the dyke of the government complex, the office of the justice permanent secretary, the Probation Department and the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection moved out of the government complex.

Floodwater was mostly waist-deep on Chaeng Wattana Soi 12-20 while Chaeng Wattana Soi 14 and nearby Song Prapha Road were 1.5 metres under water. Floodwater was 80cm deep on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road from the Laksi intersection through Ngam Wong Wan intersection to Wat Samian Nari temple where Wat Samian Nari school functions as an evacuation centre.

On Ngam Wong Wan Road, floodwaters stretched from its intersection with Vibhavadi Rangsit Road through the Klong Prem Central Prison to Pongpet intersection and was 40-50cm deep.

Transport Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat, who supervises flood relief in northern Bangkok, said a 6km-long dyke made from sandbags, stretching from a U-turn on Phahon Yothin Road by Khlong Rangsit Prayoonsak canal to the Don Muang railway station would be completed today and should slow down flood intakes from the northern outskirts.

In western Bangkok, Phetkasem Road from its intersection with Phetkasem 50 Road to Krathum Baen district of Samut Sakhon province was 50cm-1m under water.

The Bang Kae branch of The Mall department store was closed.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut, who supervises drainage in western Bangkok, said it would take about 40 days to drain the 2 billion cubic metres of floodwater in western Bangkok.

Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said western Bangkok could be completely inundated.

MCOT_Eng MCOT English News
Water inundates roads at Major Ratchayothin and SCB Park; both sides of road at Criminal Court flooded; Vibhavadi's Wat Samian Nari hit by deep floodwater

StrontiumDog1 StrontiumDog

7.45."Wave is coming"[at] Seacon Square, Bang Khae. Cars can pass still, water above sidewalk depth (pic) bit.ly/u1n42Z

Bangkok Post : Wrong message being sent abroad

Wrong message being sent abroad

Tourist confusion rampant, say hoteliers

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Business

The government needs to do a better job of communicating to protect the country's tourism image, as reports of current flooding in foreign media are creating confusion abroad, say executives of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

Many international tourists misunderstand current conditions in Bangkok because of frequent media reports saying Bangkok's airport is flooded.

They are not aware that the flooding affects only Don Mueang and not Suvarnabhumi, prompting Asian tourists shift to other countries and European tourists to postpone trips to unaffected areas including Phuket, Samui, Krabi and Chiang Mai.

"We're disappointed with international news footage. Some reports are not true at all," said Chris Bailey, senior vice-president for sales and marketing of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

"The problem is ineffective communications by the government, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. They always said the flooding problem won't affect tourism."

Updating the situation on websites is not enough, he said. Authorities need to start proactive communication right now before tourism operators lose another high season, he added.

Suthikiati Chirathivat, chairman of Central Plaza Hotel Plc (Centel), said the tourism sector had faced negative conditions time and again, most recently the airport seizures by protesters in late 2008 and the escalating red-shirt unrest of 2009-10.

Centel had been hoping to see tourism clearly rebound in this high season but the floods are causing those hopes to fade, he said.

Mr Bailey said that that if people search for "Thailand flooding" online, they will see mostly negative news in international media.

"You don't see explanations of the situation by the TAT or the tourism ministry. If you want to check on updates on some overseas websites of the TAT, you will see it at the bottom of the web page and have to click three times to reach the information."

"Where is the minister of Tourism and Sports? We haven't seen him to working or helping tourism," added Centara president Gerd Steeb.

The chain says it has lost 70 million baht from guest cancellations and event postponements at the Centara Grand Hotel & Resort at CentralWorld since the beginning of October.

Around 16,000 room nights at the group's properties have been cancelled, including 5,000 from Asian travellers, with 35% of the total at its hotels outside Bangkok. Forward bookings for the December-February period have dropped by 30% from expected high-season levels.

What is happening with Centara reflects the overall tourism sector because the group has hotels nationwide, said Mr Bailey. Normally, revenues generated in the first quarter are around 40% of Centara's total for the year.

Although the current average occupancy rate is quite high in Bangkok now, it reflects bookings from Bangkok residents who have fled flood-threatened homes.

"The problem is what will happen after the floods recede. Many hotels should lower room rates or offer special deals to attract clients," said Mr Bailey.

Bangkok Post : PM backs down on sluice gate

PM backs down on sluice gate

Threat to city prompts move to slow water flow

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is looking to go back on her order to widen the controversial Khlong Sam Wa sluice gate by instructing officials to negotiate with residents on narrowing the gap.


Lifeline express Residents from flooded communities in Don Muang district catch a special train which takes them into the city as the main Vibhavadi Rangsit Road remains impassable due to rising floodwater. THITIWANNAMONTHA

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, meanwhile, claimed she had agreed to return responsibility for the watergate to him.

Ms Yingluck's about-face came after MR Sukhumbhand invoked a clause in the disaster prevention law and ordered police to guard BMA officials who entered the area to repair the gate that had been damaged by local people. The repairs were completed last night.

The prime minister invoked the disaster prevention law on Oct 21 to take full control of all flood operations as runoff from the North started surging into Bangkok.

• Egat chief says dams 'not to blame'
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• Development that leads to destruction
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"I have ordered a committee to negotiate with residents [living upstream] to narrow the gate so that less overflow will enter Bangkok," she said.

Ms Yingluck said the gate had to be narrowed to regulate water flow.

"We are talking to residents and we believe they will cooperate," she said.


A man wheels a sick relative to his car parked on the tollway in Rangsit area. PHONGTHAI WATTANAVANITVUT

On Monday she ordered the BMA to widen the sluice gate to one metre after angry protesters destroyed parts of it while police officers looked on.

A government source said high-ranking officials and ministers conducting flood relief operations had provided Ms Yingluck with two options regarding the Khlong Sam Wa sluice gate during a meeting yesterday.

The first was to destroy the Bang Chan sluice gate to allow the overflow from Khlong Sam Wa to reach Khlong Saen Saep. The second was to narrow the Khlong Sam Wa gate.

Ms Yingluck's decision was made in response to the flood threatening the Bangchan Industrial Estate, located downstream.

Bangchan estate was yesterday racing to strengthen its flood defences after City Hall's Department of Drainage and Sewerage issued a warning urging it to brace for possible flooding of up to 2.5 to 3 metres.

Water was yesterday seen rising from drains inside the estate opposite the Saha Union factory on Seri Thai Road.

Business owners yesterday met to discuss flood management plans.

If all efforts fail, the Bangchan estate will be the eighth to be hit by the floods. Five are in Ayutthaya and the others are in Pathum Thani province.

Monta Pranootnarapal, governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, said Bangchan is still protected and so far there have only been minor leaks.


Workers rush to repair the sluice gate at Khlong Sam Wa which was damaged by residents furious at being flooded for too long. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

"The estate is next to the Khlong Saen Saep canal, and so there might be leaks while sand bags are being used as a barrier," she said, adding the estate should remain safe if the sluice gate is not widened further.

Meanwhile, Ms Yingluck insisted her government was ready to cooperate and provided assistance to the BMA in repairing the sluice gate by arranging for police officers to protect the BMA workers.

She said a joint working committee of representatives from the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, Royal Irrigation Department, and the BMA was established on Tuesday to manage the situation in Khlong Sam Wa.

She also said she would discuss the flood situation in Thailand with other world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum on Nov 12-13 in Hawaii.

Ms Yingluck said the Foreign Ministry is currently keeping ambassadors from the international community up to date on the flood situation.

MR Sukhumbhand said the repaired gate would also help avert flooding on Ramkhamhaeng and Ram Intra roads. Part of Ram Intra has already been heavily flooded.

"I have been informed informally that the government has given the BMA the authority to manage the Khlong Sam Wa sluice gate," MR Sukhumbhand said.

The governor said the current height of the gate is at 1m as ordered by the newly-appointed joint working committee.

He insisted that if the height of the Khlong Sam Wa gate is increased, the height of the sluice gates at Khlong 8 and Khlong 10, which is supervised by the Royal Irrigation Department, should be lowered.

Charupong Ruangsuwan, chair of a joint coordinating panel, said that a 3-km flood wall needs to be built on Hathairat Road to help regulate water in Khlong Saen Saep.

He said that a large amount of water from Khlong 2 is passing through Khlong Sam Wa sluice gate and some is flowing over Hathairat Road and into the Min Buri area.

"If we don't set up a flood barrier, fixing the sluice gate will be useless because we cannot regulate the water level in Khlong Saen Saep. And Bang Chan industrial estate will be affected."

BMA announces new evacuation areas

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has declared several areas that will be immediately evacuated and one "closely-watched area".

- Sai Kong Din Tai sub-district of Klong Sam Wa district.
- Sam Wa Tawan Tok sub-district of Klong Sam Wa district.
- Nong Khang Phlu sub-district of Nong Khaem district.
- Sena Niwet 1 housing estate in Lat Phrao district.
- Northern Phasicharoen (now being closely watched).



An underpass is filled with water near Wat Phra Si Mahathat in Laksi district. RATTASEEMA PONGSAN


Helicopters are readied to leave the 11th Infantry Regiment base in Bang Khen district, which is being inundated. SURAPOL PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN


A boy swims in floodwater outside The Mall shopping centre on Phetkasem Road. WISIT THAMNGERN


Zebras stand on a rare patch of dry land at Safari World on the outskirts of Bangkok. PATTARACHAI PREECHAPANICH


Armoured vehicles are parked on a tollway to escape floodwater at the main air force base in Don Muang district. THITI WANNAMONTHA

TAN_Network
Good morning folks. Here's a pic of Saena Soi 8 road at 8AM Nov 3 #ThaiFloodENG yfrog.com/nvpq3ksj

TAN_Network TAN News Network

Flood barrier along Prapa Canal will be raised by 80cm, request submitted for police & military's help to protect the barrier

Dep Metropolitan Waterworks Authority says damage done to 17 spots of Prapa Canal flood barrier have been repaired.

Bangkok Post : Commuters feel the strain

Commuters feel the strain

Workers' daily drudge has become an ordeal

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The floods are making life difficult not only for those whose homes are inundated, but also for people who battle the rising water every day to travel to work.


Soldiers help commuters board a bus on the flooded Phetkasem Road near The Mall department store yesterday. WISIT THAMNGERN

Monthawali Muen-anan, 34, a secretary for a company on Soi Ram Intra 40 in Bangkok, is one of many thousands who struggle to get to their offices. No matter how hard the commute, they have little choice. Normally, it takes Ms Monthawali about an hour to drive from her home on Soi Charan Sanitwong 31 in western Bangkok to her office in the eastern part of the capital. But after the floods arrived, Ms Monthawali left her vehicle at the company car park and is now forced to take the bus.

This means her commute is now longer and more expensive _ two hours each way at a cost of 200 baht per day.

She starts with a bus ride that skirts the flood zones to the Tha Phra area, where she takes a cab to Wong Wian Yai skytrain station.

After arriving at the Victory Monument station, she then hops into a public minivan to Soi Ram Intra 40.

"My house isn't flooded yet but the direct route to my office is," said Ms Monthawali. Her company only allows staff whose houses are flooded to stop working and even then the number of days they are absent is deducted from their leave entitlement.

At the end of the day, despite being worn down by the commute, it is impossible for Ms Monthawali to simply jump into a cab and go straight home.

"When I mention Charan Sanitwong, drivers just shake their heads. And they do not believe me, no matter how hard I try to assure them, that the area where I'm going is not flooded," she said.

The easiest trip home from the office involves taking a taxi to Tha Phra first and then changing to a bus before hopping on the back of a motorcycle taxi to Soi Charan Sanitwong 31.

"If Wong Wian Yai is flooded, I will probably have to leave home and live in the office as I still have to work," she said.

Itthiphon Buathongkham, 46, a company accountant who works in Vibhavadi Rangsit Soi 5, has moved to a rented apartment in Pattaya with her husband and three young daughters after their house in Thawi Watthana district flooded.

She and her husband chose Pattaya because they have relatives there who help take care of the three girls while their parents work in Bangkok.

Their relocation means a 270km round trip of daily commuting between Pattaya and Bangkok which costs 600 baht between the two of them.

Bangkok Post : Crisis addsto migrant worker woes

Crisis adds to migrant worker woes

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

PATHUM THANI : The lives of Burmese workers living in Sam Khok district have been turned upside down after their factory was closed due to the flooding.

One 20-year-old Burmese labourer, Oor, who came to work in Thailand earlier this year, says lack of cash may force him to look elsewhere for work.

"My friends and I are very worried," said Oor, adding he cannot afford to wait an estimated two months for the car component factory to reopen.

He said he and his friends are burdened with monthly expenses and debts such as paying off the brokers who brought them to work in Thailand.

"We don't know what to do. We can't go back to Burma," Oor said.

He said he plans to search for a new job in Samut Sakhon even though he is supposed to stay in Sam Khok until his status has been registered.

Oor said he cannot simply wait for donated relief supplies for flood victims.

He needs money and the only way out that he can see is to take a risk by seeking jobs elsewhere.

However, workers who have already been given legal labour status are facing fewer problems.

They can travel away from areas they work in, return to Burma and come back to Thailand again.

Than Than Sint, a 34-year-old worker, said she and her husband will wait out the floods by returning home for the first time in 12 years.

"I will visit my mother and our son," she said. "We haven't seen him in all that time."

Meanwhile, almost half the migrant workers returning to their hometowns in Nakhon Ratchasima from flooded central provinces are seeking jobs there.

Anchali Sinthu, head of the provincial employment office, said 71 flood-affected workers had registered with the office to receive unemployment benefits.

Most of them worked in electronics and auto factories and about 30 of them have said that instead of returning to the factories when the floods subside, they would rather try and get a job locally, she said.

StrontiumDog1 StrontiumDog

8.50, photo taken from a footpath in SCB Park this morning RT [at]Annanop (via [at]jsradio ) bit.ly/rNSas1

Bangkok Post : Entire air force base under water

Entire air force base under water

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The entire air force base at Don Mueang is under floodwater of 50cm to 1.3 metres, says air force commander ACM Itthaporn Subhawong.

Floodwater covers the entire base including Squadron 601's Wing 6 _ the facility's hangar _ which is under 1.3 metres of water, ACM Itthaporn said.

The air force relocated its planes including C-130 military transport aircraft from the hangar last week.

"We have moved our command centre to the Air Force Convention Hall [opposite the air base] on Phahon Yothin Road because it is our highest building,"ACM Itthaporn said.

About 13,000 air force officials and their families live at the base, but most of them evacuated after a large amount of water runoff burst through the one-metre high flood barriers.

Only 1,200 military personnel remain on duty at the base.

Flood evacuees from Ayutthaya and Bangkok's Sai Mai district who sought shelter at the base were also evacuated on Monday.

However, 50 evacuees insisted they would stay at the base, saying they did not want to travel too far away from their homes in Don Muang area.

Air force officials are taking care of them, ACM Itthaporn said.

The overflow of floodwater also inundated the first floor of the two storey-residences of the air force chief and other top officers at the base.

Meanwhile, the air force is working with the Royal Irrigation Department to drain water from the heavily flooded Don Mueang airport.

ACM Itthaporn yesterday emphasised the need to salvage the airport and find ways to reduce the large amount of water that has spread into the facility.

Many people believed the airport was under the supervision of the air force alone when in fact responsibility is shared, he said.

The commercial domestic airport lies on the eastern side covering passenger terminals, runways and taxiways, which are overseen by the Airports of Thailand (AoT). Don Mueang air force base is on the west side and supervised by the air force. The air force and AoT would together drain the airport, he said.

AoT president Anirut Thanomkulabutr said his agency could not assess flood damage at the airport yet as water levels are still one metre deep.

I have been receiving numerous telephone calls from friends saying that their present dry condition is now under serious threat.

One friend confirmed that Fashion Island Mall is now under water with the levels rising fast.

I was yesterday at Theperak Rd in Samut Prakarn and the main klong was about 0.5 metre down compared to it's normal level but alarmingly the water was not flowing. First time in 15 years I have seen this Klong like that.

It seems someone has put a plug somewhere and that plug is about to pop out soon but everyone in the area appears to be well prepared.

He disclosed that one case of cholera was detected in Bangkok's Prawet district but disease control measures were already put in place there.

"We are confident that there will be no outbreak of cholera in Bangkok," he said.

Asked if a large number of people would catch cholera if some cholerainfected human faeces were dropped into floodwater, Pornthep said, "If you don't directly contact the infected stuff or put it into your mouth, there's no significant risk. But to play safe, please eat only fully cooked and safe food".

On leptospirosis, Pornthep said some cases were detected in Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet with two deaths reported.


Patients zero?

( Leptospirosis is carried in rat urine.)

tukky_nt tukky_nt

9.16am: PM inspects flooded area in DonMueang;distributing survival bags,dropping EM ball. TR [at]nnanews: yfrog.com/khj50gzj



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Bangkok Post : PM visits flooded Don Mueang

PM visits flooded Don Mueang

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 09:26 AM
• Online news:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday morning visited flood affected people in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district, reports said.

Ms Yingluck boarded a flat-bottom boat at the flooded Song Prapa road and handed out flood relief bags to people along the way to Wat Weru Wanaram.

She was accompanied by Information and Communication Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap, Social Development and Human Security Minister Santi Prompat and Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri.

Bangkok Post : Floods arrive at Major Ratchayothin

Floods arrive at Major Ratchayothin

• Published: 3/11/2011 at 10:22 AM
• Online news:

The northern flood moving in from upper Bangkok on Thursday morning surrounded Major Cineplex Ratchayothin on Phahon Yothin road, reports said.

The floodwater flowed to the entertainment and shopping centre through both Ratchayothin and Phahon Yothin roads, forcing it to shut down.

The public relations office of the Major Cineplex Group announced the closure of its theatre and shopping mall at Ratchayothin for the rest of the day.

Traffic police at Phahon Yothin police station said the outbound lanes of Phahon Yothin from Major Ratchayothin to Kasetsart intersection were submerged and impassable for all vehicles.

The inbound lanes from Kasetsart University to Central Lat Phrao department store were still open for traffic but only a few cars were using them as small vehicles could not pass through the Kasetsart intersection.


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TAN_Network

The Avenue Ratchayothin sees flooding out front yfrog.com/odwzoajj



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TAN_Network

Ratchayothin intersection heading for Ratchadapisek Rd sees some flooding yfrog.com/kjkuywyej



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TAN_Network

SCB Park still dry despite some flooding out front yfrog.com/nupymmlj