Floods all over Thailand! Homes evacuated as dams release excess water.

[Vombatus]

Nookie - from the airport is there any benefit in going via Chachoengsao ?

[nookiebear]

Nookie - from the airport is there any benefit in going via Chachoengsao ?

None at all as I understand the road between the motorway & Chachoengsao is impassable as well due to flooding

[nookiebear]

From the airport head towards Pattaya when you see the signs for Ban Beung take it & head across & pick up 331

[Mod]

Capital's north set to be hit by northern runoff

Published: 18/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
by Bangkok post

Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has warned that the capital could be hit by floods tomorrow, as a large volume of northern runoff has been flowing into Khlong Rangsit, putting the north of the city at risk.

 
Against the flow
A Chinook helicopter lowers a shipping container to try to slow the massive flow of floodwater into Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate in Pathum Thani as efforts to salvage the estate intensified yesterday. The government has urged workers and nearby residents to evacuate as the estate is vulnerable to rising floodwaters. WEERAWONG WONGPREEDEE

This warning came a day after the government's flood relief operation command announced Bangkok should be safe from the deluge, with the much-feared mass of water runoff from the North having moved past the capital.

After hearing of the updated situation, MR Sukhumbhand staged an urgent press conference at 9:30pm last night to report that the torrent is expected to arrive in Don Muang and Sai Mai districts within 48 hours of his announcement.

The government had alerted City Hall that they could no longer hold back the flood water and that they could not reduce the amount flowing into Khlong Rangsit, Khlong 8 and Khlong 9 in neighbouring Pathum Thani province.

This will result in a sharp rise in the waterways north of Bangkok, MR Sukhumbhand said.

"Sai Mai district is at the frontline. Don Muang should be on high alert too," the governor said.

In an attempt to safeguard northern Bangkok, MR Sukhumbhand said City Hall would find 1.2 million sandbags to increase the height of Khlong Hok Wa to about three metres.

"We have another 48 hours to evaluate the situation," he said.

"So, don't panic but do prepare for possible flooding, for example by moving your belongings to higher ground."

Earlier yesterday, MR Sukhumbhand expressed concern that floodwater could start to flow into the north of the capital.

He said a dyke was being built along Khlong Hok Wa Canal to protect Sai Mai and Khlong Sam Wa districts.

Workers together with soldiers and volunteers were raising a dyke along a 7km stretch of the canal by 50cm.

City Hall will also raise a 1.25km section of Liap Khlong Song Road and a 1.5km section of Sai Mai Road by 30cm to keep floodwaters at bay.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has distributed 600,000 more sandbags to eastern districts, while the governor has appealed for more sand to protect eastern Bangkok.

"I don't think Bangkok is safe," MR Sukhumbhand said. "The danger has not been averted.

"However, the situation is not critical yet. The BMA must be vigilant, especially in Sai Mai and Don Muang. If the dyke in Sai Mai is breached, Khlong Sam Wa will be hit too."

The level of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok was 2.07 metres yesterday, while dykes along the river stand at 2.50 metres on average.

Elsewhere, Bangkok's government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road started taking in flood evacuees yesterday, with about 300 flood victims arriving from Rangsit and Lat Lum Kaeo district.

Meanwhile, more communities and institutions in Pathum Thani and north Bangkok are threatened by the run-off as it moves from the Central Plains towards the Gulf of Thailand.

Thammasat University's Rangsit campus, Pinehurst golf course, the White House housing estate, Bangkok University's Rangsit campus and other areas in and around Rangsit were placed on alert yesterday after the Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate in Pathum Thani was partially submerged following a breach in its northern flood walls.

The management of Thammasat University's Rangsit campus, 8km south of the industrial estate, says it can cope with floodwater, as the campus is also functioning as an evacuation centre.

According to deputy rector Assoc Prof Kamphol Rujiwich, the height of an earth dyke around the campus has been raised and possible leaks plugged.

He said sandbags are also providing protection for Thammasat Chalermprakiat Hospital and that patient evacuation plans are in place if needed.

Assoc Prof Kamphol also advised new evacuees to head for safer shelters instead of the Rangsit campus.

[Red Jet]

Why was so much water kept in the dams ?

Read bangkok Pundit's posts here

It seems the buck passing has started already 

[Red Jet]

Thai PM admits govt overwhelmed by floods

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s new premier acknowledged Wednesday that the country’s flood crisis has overwhelmed her government, and she pleaded for mercy from the media and solidarity from the country in battling the relentless waters.
 

In an emotional appearance before reporters, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said her administration is doing all it can and trying to be as clear as possible about where the flooding may strike next.
 
However, mixed messages from officials in recent days about whether the floodwaters will enter Bangkok have left people confused. A poll by ABAC, associated with Bangkok’s Assumption College, found that 87 percent of 415 people surveyed did not trust information from the government’s flood command center.

“We have been doing everything we can, but this is a big national crisis,” Yingluck said. “I’m begging for mercy from the media here.”
 
Bangkok’s city government, headed by the opposition, urged residents in seven northern districts to move belongings to safe places because of likely flooding. The warning came days after some officials had indicated the worst threat had passed. Meanwhile, flooding in areas directly north of the city worsened despite frantic government efforts to stave off the water.
 
The death toll in nationwide flooding is 317, mostly from drowning, with nearly 9 million people affected and 27 of the country’s 77 provinces still inundated. Initial estimates of the economic cost of destroyed shops, paralyzed factories and swamped farmland were $3 billion, but have since been rising.
 
Floodwaters in northern areas began in August and have slowly crawled south toward the Gulf of Thailand, though the government has notched up the urgency of flood-control efforts only in the past two weeks.
 
“The government had said over and over again they were able to handle the situation, then what happened? It got flooded from there to here,” said Puntip Susuntitapong, a 61-year-old retired banker in Bangkok.
 
Yingluck had no previous government experience when she came into power in August as the standard-bearer for the party aligned with her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who is a fugitive on corruption convictions but still widely popular.
 
A distraught Yingluck appealed Wednesday to reporters to stop asking whether Bangkok will be inundated.
 
“The more you ask questions like this, the less useful it is going to be,” she said, adding that her role was to coordinate, not disseminate information. She said experts were more qualified than she to give information, and that her own personal views “might lead to lack of confidence and confusion among the people.”
 
“We are telling the truth, not concealing anything from the people,” she said. “We have been doing everything we can, but this is a big national crisis. On our own, we can’t get it done. We need unity from every side, and today we must set politics aside.”
 
The administration’s low point in handling the floods may have been Oct. 13 when Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi issued a spur-of-the-moment order on live television to immediately evacuate an area north of Bangkok. Within 20 minutes, he and his colleagues from the government’s flood emergency team were back on the air to rescind the order.
 
“I’m confused every time I hear the warning from the government,” said Somjai Dokkam, a 51-year-old female recycling worker in Bang Kradee, north of Bangkok, whose house was flooded Wednesday morning.
 
Adding to the discontinuity in the public message have been the discrepancies between Yingluck’s government and that of Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who belongs to a rival party.
 
Sukhumbhand has consistently said Bangkok will likely face flooding even as Yingluck’s government has expressed confidence that the city’s defenses will hold up. The governor mobilized droves of citizens to build sand-bag levees Tuesday, saying flooding in many neighborhoods was otherwise imminent.
 
The city so far has escaped substantial flooding, thanks to dikes, underground tunnels and other defenses, though floodwaters have been seeping into some northern neighborhoods.
 
In Bang Kradee, 49-year-old Prasit Thamnita, a worker at Thammasat University, said the best approach was to simply rely on his own judgement.
 
“I’ve lived here my whole life, so I knew the water was definitely coming. The government doesn’t know better than the locals,” he said. “I only rely on myself and the local municipality for any news about the water,” he said.
 
Elsewhere in Bang Kradee, defenders were making a last stand at an industrial park threatening to become the sixth major one in Thailand to be swamped.
 
Flooding of five other industrial parks north of Bangkok has idled hundreds of factories and about 200,000 workers while disrupting regional supply chains for computer hard drives and automobiles

[Admin]

Flood waters to affect Bangkok's north tomorrow
The Nation 2011-10-20

It is estimated that the floodwater in Klong Rangsit will enter Klong Hok Wa in northern Bangkok's Sai Mai district tonight and affect Bangkok tomorrow, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said Thursday.

However, he asked Bangkokians not to panic, as this will not increase the at-risk areas from the seven districts announced yesterday.

Bangkok has told seven districts in the Thai capital to be on alert for the approaching northern flood run-off, and advised residents of Sai Mai, Klong Samwa, Bang Khen, Nong Chok, Min Buri, Lat Krabang, Kannayao districts to move their valuable possessions to upper floors.

The governor also asked the government to help save other vulnerable areas located outside his authority, saying Bangkok is working to pump water from the overflowing Klong Prapa, which caused flooding on some roads in the Chang Wattana, Ngamwongwan and Prachachuen areas early Thursday. The floodwater in Klong Prapa arrived from Pathum Thani.

The Klong Prapa overflow has now receded and Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, who directs the flood relief operation centre, said the water situation in the canal was under control.

Meanwhile, ACM Sumet Photimanee, chairman of Airports of Thailand (AoT), on Thursday expressed confidence that Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports were well-prepared to prevent floodwater from intruding into their respective compounds.

Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport has a 3.5 metre-high flood prevention wall but the chairman explained that he was still worried about areas north of Don Mueang Airport that may yet be subject to larger amounts of northern run-off.

To brace for the possibility of full-scale flooding, Don Mueang Airport authorities built an additional temporary embankment with some 10,000 sandbags.

For Suvarnabhumi Airport, AoT has prepared a contingency plan to cope with the possible flood situation. The plan is ready to put into effect if and when the situation warrants. Airlines and business operators as well as related agencies have been notified about the plan, including an option to move facilities and aircraft to operate at Chon Buri's U-Tapao Airport and other airports.

[Mod]

here picture that took on the year 1942 from Bangkok.
that time was water flood all over the city.
wonder what happen if flood will happen those days... 

[Admin]

Yingluck urges Bangkokians not to panic as canals fill up
The Nation 2011-10-21

Residents told to move belongings to higher ground; water won't be blocked.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday pleaded with the public not to panic when Bangkok’s canals fill up as floodwater is diverted out to nearby rivers.

"Please understand that the water comes from opening water gates to drain the water as soon as possible. We have to let the water flow smoothly. We know that water is now trapped in the plains and many areas. With the drainage, trapped water will drop fast. If we block all flows, problems will follow as some dykes can't block or hold the water. The dykes are also made of earth so they can crumble," she said.

Some areas in Bangkok are already experiencing flooding, but still at controllable levels, while the water has not yet reached other areas.

Residents are advised to move their belongings at least one metre higher and park their cars at safe and suitable places, she said.

Some low or eroded areas might have to face a little flooding but the water would be pumped out as soon as possible, she said.

All of Bangkok's sluice gates will be opened, but in rotation, so the water can flow to the east.

That was easier than trying to discharge the floodwater to the west, as the Tha Chin River was higher, she said after meeting with Irrigation Department directorgeneral Chalit Damrongsak, Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi and former Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul.

In the long run, Thailand will have to set up a water management system, she said.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the flood situation has not reached the critical stage and the areas under close monitoring remain the same.

"Bangkok has not announced more closemonitoring areas besides the seven districts (that were declared at risk earlier). But the government should take care of the three sensitive areas as they are out of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's hands. They are the Lak Hok subdistrict of Pathum Thani, the area under the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority and Paholyothin Road crossing over Rangsit Canal," he said.

The capital would do its part by draining water in Samsen Canal to reduce the water in Waterworks Canal.

After inspecting preparations at Siriraj Hospital, Sukhumbhand said the sandbag barrier had been raised to 2.8 metres above sea level. It should be safe but the city was ready to build it higher at any time.

The hospital also put up a 200metrelong retaining wall made of cement bags that was 1.2 metres high.

Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, the director of the Flood Relief Operations Centre, said after going on an aerial survey he was 90 per cent sure that Bangkok would be safe but there still was 10percent room for uncertainty.

Citing the example of the 26kilometre dyke now under construction, Pracha said both the BMA and the military were very helpful as the government works to solve the problem.

To restore people's confidence in FROC's announcements, the presentation was changed to the reading out of statements so there was no need to change the spokesmen, he said. The only concern was that people not directly in charge were spreading news.

The directors of Don Mueang and Lak Si district offices in northern Bangkok said there were no signs of floods entering their areas yet but sandbags and pumps had been prepared to drain any inflow out.

Rabiab Koobkrabi, director of the Lak Si District Office, said the flood in Muang Thong Thani 1 was due to the release of water while the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority was fixing problems with the Waterworks canal.

Poomipat Damrongkiatisak, director of the Don Muang District Office, said residents should be wary of rumours but anyone who feels uneasy can move to prepared evacuation centres.

Aroon Puangsombat, director of the Min Buri District Office, said the flood's impact on the district would depend on the level of Saen Saeb Canal in the area and how the water would be channelled out according to the government's plan.

The situation would be monitored and reported on every three to six hours, he said.

Saen Saeb Canal links to Bang Pakong River to the east of Bangkok.

Panu Kerdlarppol, the deputy Metropolitan Police commissioner overseeing traffic control, said police in each area had been ordered to prepare traffic plans for emergency and evacuation routes and meeting points. Police have also coordinated with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority for alternate transportation.

Some roads were washed out for a short period of time due to the rising river tide but that had not disrupted traffic much, he said.

[Mod]

here is a link for explanation about the water floods in Bangkok from the politic point of view

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/nationvdo/showvdo.php?id=5364&cateid=13

[Lottie]

gets worse every year - TIT

[Admin]

Live flooding situation updated map in English: http://www.thaiflood.com/en/

[IRELAND]

will i make it from silom to prakhon chai (by car not boat) coming next week from now,has anyone made similar trip

[Admin]

will i make it from silom to prakhon chai (by car not boat) coming next week from now,has anyone made similar trip

Right now it is possible but you will have to follow the news on Bangkok Post to see updates about the situation at the time you are coming. http://www.bangkokpost.com/

[Mod]

here is good link explaining about the floods situation in Bangkok


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/nationvdo/showvdo.php?id=5419&cateid=13