Bangkok Fight on the flood walls

Six injured in explosion Floodwall

Khlong Hok Wa barrier row breaks out in violence

• Published: 11/18/2011 at 12:00 clock


• Newspaper section: News

Six people have been through an explosive device in a large crowd of people who are trying to find a solution has been a violation in a sandbag barrier in Bangkok's Sai Mai district last night were thrown violated.

Don Mueang Airport remains under deep water. Surapol PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN

The explosion followed a dispute over the sandbag barrier in the lower row of Khlong Hok Wa district.

Police found the wreckage of what appeared to be a brick of gunpowder. The package was on the bridge over the canal, where about 100 residents try a 70m wide gap in the barrier were thrown in the vicinity.

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The police said the incident was aimed at stirring up a confrontation between residents on both sides of the barrage.

Crowd-control police from the Metropolitan Police Division 2 were used to beef safety.

The 70m-wide gap was created in the morning, when about 300 residents in Pathum Thani removed a piece of sandbag barrage on the bottom line of the Khlong Hok Wa.

The injury caused to roar more flood to Sai Mai district.

The workers are towing vehicles parked on the tollway to escape the floods. RATTASEEMA PONGSAN

Ratchapol Boonrod, Deputy Head of the Sai Mai reported that residents from tambon Lat Sawai of Pathum Thani's Lam Luk Ka district sandbags from the barrage.

The height of the flooding in Sai Mai district then rose quickly from the last 20cm to 30cm and 40cm between.

The Khlong Hok Wa barrage is one of the two major barriers that block flood in Pathum Thani from swaying in the northern part of Bangkok. The other barrier is in Tambon Lak Hok from Pathum Thani, which connects to Bangkok's Don Muang district.

The residents demanded that the entire length of the Khlong Hok Wa flood wall placed to serve as a defense that the lock on Khlong Phraya Suren be pushed higher to 1m, and that they be paid more flood compensation.

Sanya Cheenimitr, director of the City Hall water and sewerage department, at the scene and negotiated with the angry residents.

After hours of talks, Mr. Sanya bowed to their demands and ordered the Khlong Phraya Suren lock to be raised to 1 m, after which violent protests by residents downstream Sai Mai district.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday the damaged sandbag barrier and the expansion of Phraya Suren lock some 4 million would cause flow cu / m per day of flooding in Bangkok.

The affected areas are Sai Mai, Ram Intra and Bang Chan Industrial Estate in Min Buri district, he said.

Anond Snidvongs, an academic for the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc), yesterday said the increase of Khlong Phraya Suren sluice through the Lam Luk Ka demonstrators called for help, the flood in Pathum Thani. 'd Instead of more flooding in Khlong Bang Chan flow in Min Buri district.

A man is near Sakhon Kasem intersection where Phetkasem Road meets Phuttha Sakhon Road. Some flood victims taken refuge at the roadside.PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

Bang Kapi, Wang Thong Lang districts and territories Min Buri near Suan Siam theme park would be affected, said Mr Anond.

Meanwhile, an agreement was reached yesterday between the residents of the Big Bag barrage built on Phahon Yothin Road and Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) affected.

It was agreed that a 5m wide gap to be created in the barrier.Froc officials did not believe the gap would be to increase flood levels on Phahon Yothin road.

On Wednesday, some 200 residents of housing developments along the main road some of the bags on top of the barrier near the air force base away, unleashing streams of water through a 3.5 m spacing after the Froc refused their request that an opening of at least 10m will be made in the barrier.

The incident occurred at the Directorate of Air Operations Control Lam Luk Ka district intersection in Pathum Thani province.

MR Sukhumbhand said the gap about 400,000 cu / m per day in the Khlong Song and Don Muang would be sending areas. The additional water would result in a 20 cm rise in water level on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Don Muang Airport.

Mr. Anond said it estimated that between one million and 1.5 million will cu / m of water per day pass through the 5-meter-wide gap in the big-bag wall on Phahon Yothin, although City Hall should be able drainage system to to cope with the influx.

Froc deputy spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said City Hall's Department of sewers and pipelines would the water level every hour for the first 48 hours to determine whether inflows match outflows could be monitored.

If the handle spaces inside the barrier could not get the excess water, then the gaps would be converted to weirs, said Pol Gen Pongsapat.

He added that it might increase attention to compensation for persons who are outside the barrier. After talks would have completed the proposal, the flood victims, chaired by Vice-Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit presented.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat yesterday said the plan would save at Don Mueang airport to wait until the flood occurs in the vicinity of the airport, estimated by the end of the month.

A 2 km long sangbag wall would be erected along Vibhavadi Rangsit outside the airport. As the water moves outside of the barrier that remains would be released into the surrounding canal network within the airport, he said.

Hairdressers, hairdressing and sewing Niranrat give a free haircut for people in the flood shelter in the Sports Science Centre at Hua Mak yesterday. Somchai POOMLARD

A man raises his girlfriend to keep her high-water near the mouth of Soi Phahon Yothin 48th Surapol PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN

Riot police in Waders line-up of the lower portions of the Khlong Hok Wa in Pathum Thani. They were used to keep the peace, after residents of the barrier floods cause over-voltage protection in Bangkok's Sai Mai district yesterday dismantled. APICHIT JINAKUL

A truck from Omnoi community in Samut Sakhon sprays effective microorganisms (EM) of liquid in the flood on Phetkasem Road, which itself is rotten. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

Tensions spill over
the demonstrators with police splash flooding along the Big-Bag-barrier on Phahon Yothin Road near the Air Force Headquarters yesterday. The protesters tore part of the barrier for water that flooded their communities for weeks to release.WEERAWONGWONGPREEDEE

Former Deputy Prime Minister Visanu Krue-ngam, who sits on the SCRF, said yesterday he had been assigned to head a sub-committee, plans to build an organization and to formulate guidelines for their management.

About 10 people are expected at the panel, which will also be appointed to make arrangements for the application for the post. It is the power over other agencies in the management of water resources, said Mr Visanu, also a former Cabinet Secretary-General.

Visanu: Water body needs more energy

Once it is established, the SCRF are resolved, he said.

Due to the organizational structure of the SCRF, which authority in a PM was office regulation where it has limited power, while the other water-related government agencies, supported by legislation, had more power as they relate to urban planning, irrigation and environmental .

For example, if the SCRF wants to build new floodways, it would be difficult to implement the plan, he said.

The Floodway project would have the requirements of § 67 of the 2007 Constitution, which means that projects that could have a negative impact on the environment, to environmental and health impact assessments as in the case of Rayong's Map Ta Phut undergoing industrial area to meet intended.

Most government ministries and authorities _ 20 _ 148 departments have their own authority, but the SCRF is not entitled to call their own, he said.

The committee had the task to report only to the Prime Minister on the management of water resources. The Prime Minister has no authority, no government agencies to follow the recommendations of the Committee.

Without authority, the SCRF could do nothing to handle the flood crisis.

When the flood is not a normal situation, but a crisis that has authority to an agency that manages water resources given, he said.

During the flood crisis, some water agencies in connection with the idle seemed to do nothing, he said.

The organization for the management of water resources should be determined in 5-6 months.

He said the SCRF came on long-term measures to facilitate future flood to prevent crises. It was working for the country, not for a specific company or an individual.

Meanwhile, said Secretary of Defense Gen. Sathian Phoemthongin the government had set seven committees that hammered the plans to rehabilitate the country after the end of the floods.

Military development and engineering units would spearhead efforts to rehabilitate the damaged infrastructure, especially roads and water resources. Investors are consulted on what changes they want.

#2 (permalink)
StrontiumDog Out there... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BKK Posts: 27,025	Thailand Floods Pictures November 17th - Monsters and Critics Thai residents walk on a temporary elevated pathway across a flooded major highway in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. The worst flooding in five decades has claimed over 500 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages industrial manufacturing plants, much of it foreign-owned and tourist sites shaving at least one per cent off the country's economic growth. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT A Thai resident wades through floodwaters at Don Mueang district in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. The worst flooding in five decades has claimed over 500 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages industrial manufacturing plants, much of it foreign-owned and tourist sites shaving at least one per cent off the country's economic growth. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT Stranded Thai residents wait for transportation at a flooded major road in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. The worst flooding in five decades has claimed over 500 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages industrial manufacturing plants, much of it foreign-owned and tourist sites shaving at least one per cent off the country's economic growth. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT Thai residents transport by boat passes portrait of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on a major road near an Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. The worst flooding in five decades has claimed over 500 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages industrial manufacturing plants, much of it foreign-owned and tourist sites shaving at least one per cent off the country's economic growth. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

Today, 02:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
StrontiumDog Out there... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BKK Posts: 27,025	Bangkok Post : Samae Dam residents flee Samae Dam residents flee Water still rising in Bang Khun Thian Published: 18/11/2011 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: News The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday declared more evacuation areas in Samae Dam sub-district of Bang Khunthian district as floodwaters continued to rise rapidly on the Thon Buri side of the capital. The new areas included Bang Khun Thian Road from the intersection with Rama II Road to Wong Wian Yai-Mahachai railway and various sois off Bang Khunthian Road. The BMA's announcement said water was rising steadily and rapidly in Bang Khunthian district. Residents were advised to evacuate as soon as possible to a shelter provided by the BMA and to move their belongings to higher places. Somchai Traipittayakul, deputy chief of Bang Khunthian district, said 3,000 to 4,000 households were being evacuated to shelters at schools and the Bang Khunthian youth centre. Mr Somchai said the level of floodwater on Bang Khunthian Road rose to between 20cm and 30cm yesterday. On the inbound lane of Rama II, floodwater began to burst through manholes along the road. Mr Somchai said water at the Thon Buri 3 housing estate on Rama II Soi 62 was between 30cm and 40cm deep. Rama II Soi 82 was under 15cm to 20cm of water while the floodwater at Rama II Soi 92 was 15cm deep. However, Rama II Road was still serviceable, Mr Somchai said, adding that efforts are being made to dredge Khlong Rang Kaew, Khlong Lat Lamphu and Khlong Si Baht to speed up the flow of water. Rising floodwater in Bang Khunthian district prompted about 100 residents from Rama II Soi 69 to blockade the road in front of Tesco Lotus on Rama II Road at 8pm yesterday. They demanded City Hall speed up water drainage from their soi. Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) yesterday said 96 more water pumps have been deployed to help drain floodwater from the west of Bangkok into the Tha Chin River. The RID said that when the flooding in eastern Bangkok begins to ease, water pumps in the area will be moved to improve drainage on the west side. The RID said 18 water-pushing devices have been installed in canals in the west to help drive water into the sea more quickly and 37 water-pushing devices deployed at the Tha Chin River to speed the water flow into the sea.

Today, 02:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
StrontiumDog Out there... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BKK Posts: 27,025	Thailand Floods Pictures November 17th - Monsters and Critics Thai residents walk on a temporary elevated pathway across a flooded major highway in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT Thai police officers take position next to angry residents demonstrate on boat calling to remove sandbags flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT Angry Thai residents throw floodwaters to police officers during a protest calling to remove sandbags flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. Angry Thai residents demolish the sandbags flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near the Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011.

Today, 03:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
StrontiumDog Out there... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BKK Posts: 27,025	From pestles to battleships From pestles to battleships Faced with shortages at supermarkets, Bangkokians are turning to local stores and wet markets Published: 18/11/2011 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: Life On a regular shopping day, where do you get your groceries, at a malodorous wet market or an air-conditioned supermarket? Weekends or weekdays, rain or sun, dry or flooded, wet markets and local general stores always cater to their communities. ANUSORN SAKSEREE How about buying household necessities like toiletries and laundry goods, do you patronise a small general store at the mouth of the soi or a multi-level hypermarket? And what if you need to do some home improvements, will you check out a local hardware joint or drive to a big-brand retailer with aisles of tools and building materials systematically laid out? Seven out of 10 people will pick the latter option for all three questions. Thanks to their attractive environment and immense variety of goods, today more than half the city population frequents modern retail facilities for almost all their household requirements. Compared to old-fashioned community vendors, which are now facing the last breath of fortune, modern stores are perceived as more inviting, more comprehensive and, most importantly, more dependable. Over the past few weeks, urban dwellers, overwhelmed by the fear of flooding, have rushed to their usual retail outlets for bottled water, eggs, instant noodles, canned food, plastic sheets, glue, silicone putty and duct tape, only to be blithely told that such goods are out of stock. Panic-stricken, they quickly shifted to other branches only to be greeted by empty shelf upon empty shelf. After checking out many supermarkets, superstores, hypermarkets and big-name hardware outlets, Bangkokians came to the sobering conclusion that the city was facing a serious shortage of food and consumer goods. With the mushrooming of airconditioned supermarkets and multi-level hypermarkets, local grocers may be facing their last opportunity. Empty shelves at modern retail facilities may be giving the public a false alarm, however. The truth is, food _ fresh and preserved _ as well as drinking water are still plentiful at local fresh markets, while essential hardware items are always within reach at ubiquitous streetside hardware shops. "Small community stores have helped me a great deal in this situation. Whereas I couldn't find plastic buckets, silicone and glue at [a big-brand home improvement outlet], I was able to get all of them right here at the ran cho huay [local general store] near my house. And, let me tell you, what you can't find at [a famous convenient store], you can find at your local shop. It may sound like idle talk but it's definitely the truth," said Suda Chaisanit, a middle-aged housewife from Sai Mai district. Restaurateur Kanita Tungwarapojwitan has been through a similar situation. She said that when she heard the flood was approaching the downtown area, she and her partner quickly headed to a home improvement superstore to get building materials to protect their restaurant, only to find that they were out of stock. ''We began to panic and starting calling friends and family for help. But as we drove along Rama IV Road, we saw a small hardware shop and decided to make a stop. I couldn't believe that the quaint little shop had everything we needed whether it was putty, silicone guns or PVC pipes. Most impressively, they hadn't raised the prices. ''So from then on, I've put my trust in small traders. While a lot of people were complaining about the scarcity of instant noodles, I was able to get many boxes from a grocer in a wet market and give them to my employees. You should try going to Klong Toey or Asoke market and you'll find everything, '' Kanita said. The restaurant owner also added that even though she understands that factors like logistics and manufacturing capacity at factories may have caused the current inventory failure at modern stores, deep down she was truly disappointed with the shopping facilities she had always relied on. ''I feel that modern retailers have failed to support us in the time we need them most. Instead, we can always rely on small shops that we've been taking for granted for years,'' she added. Certainly, the flooding crisis has brought more customers to local shops. Yet, shopkeepers don't see this as a reason to be joyful. ''Our sales volume have increased dramatically since the flood. But I'm not happy because most customers seem very desperate and stressful,'' said Pornthip Tangjai, a grocer in the Sukhumvit area. ''Over these past weeks people came particularly for basics like rice, sugar, water and eggs. I always tell them to buy a little at a time so we have enough supplies for everybody. In a critical time like this, I don't think it's a good idea to overstock but to consume wisely and frugally so we don't generate more trash,'' she said. Pornthip's grocery shop, established before she was born, has been a stable yet sometimes overlooked retailing resource in the community for more than 40 years. The relationship between shopkeepers and customers seems to be built solely on compassion and trust. ''We do our best to serve our customers. For example, today you may come looking for an item that we don't have, but tomorrow or the day after you will find the product available. Because we are a small trader, we don't have to go by contracts or shipping schedules with manufacturers or big trading agents. We can get merchandise from anywhere and at anytime we want. We might even sell our household belongings if the customer is in real need. Some might not have cash today but they can get what they want and pay later. They trust us to provide them with good products, so we trust them to settle payments too,'' said Pornthip. Nusara Jirarattanatham, a local shopkeeper in Huay Khwang district, also offered some interesting thoughts. ''It's like an instinct that runs in the blood of cho huay shopkeepers. We must provide for our customers no matter what. If they ask for it, we have to do our best to have it in our store. At megastores manned by salaried employees, they don't care if one little product has run out of stock. But we do.'' Nusara said that in the past, hardware goods were the only things sold at her five-decade-old shop. But as more and more customers _ mostly construction workers _ came asking for items like flip flops, cooking utensils and toiletries, Nusara's mother quickly responded to their needs. Today, her one-unit shophouse store carries a bewildering selection_ everything from axes, hammers and electrician's tools to laundry powder, mosquito nets, mortars and kratip (bamboo containers for sticky rice). ''While a modern marketing class might teach you to better focus on one product, my mother, like other people of the old generation, believes that we should sell everything that's in demand. That's why my friends often joke that my shop has sakkabuea yan ruea rob [from pestles to battleships]. Indeed we have everything except the battleship,'' Nusara said with a smile. She said that her family business has become so much busier with the flooding situation that she even dreamed about rubber boots, putty, duct tape and plastic sheets at night. ''Our shop opens every day, from 6:30am-8pm. Surprisingly, the busiest time of the day is early in the morning. We don't close on holidays because we know the customers need us no matter if it's a weekend or weekday, rain or shy, dry or flooded,'' said the young owner of the local hardware shop. ''It's obvious that small and musty village stores and sticky and slippery local markets that we had long forgotten are now coming to the rescue,'' said Suda, the housewife. ''Even though many markets have been flooded, their trading continues. Some are operating amid knee-level water _ with bus stops and motorcycle taxi pick-up points turned into boat piers,'' she added. Meanwhile restaurateur Kanita, thoughtfully concluded, ''This has made me think about our future. If these local shops can't survive in today's capitalism, who's going to help us again in a future crisis?'' Empty shelves at modern retail facilities may be giving the public a false alarm. The truth is, food and building materials are still plentiful at local shops.

Today, 03:08 AM

#6 (permalink)

StrontiumDog Out there... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BKK Posts: 27,025

Thailand Floods Pictures November 17th - Monsters and Critics Angry Thai residents demonstrate calling to remove sandbags flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011 Thai flood victims rest inside the evacuation center inside Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. Angry Thai residents protest calling to remove sandbags flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. Angry Thai residents clash with police officers during a protest calling to remove the sandbag flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near the Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011.