Thailand mobilizes pumps to save Bangkok

Bangkok government yesterday mobilized a large amount of pump to carry out the goal of pumping flood water from main roads in Bangkok in the next two weeks.

"We need half a month to pump water out of the main roads and one month to flood from flooded areas , " Bangkok post quoted governor Bangkok Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

Two people drove motorcycles on a road
heavily flooded in Lat Phrao district, Bangkok. (Photo: AFP)

The statement came after the Thai Flood Control Center (FROC) sent 24 pumps to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) at the governor's request to cooperate with the flood. Mr. Sukhumbhand thanked FROC for this cooperation because before that, the two sides contradicted each other in mobilizing pumps and opening flood gates. The number of additional pumps will double the BMA's resources to drain water from east Bangkok.

The Royal Irrigation Administration (RID) also responded to a request from Mr. Sukhumbhand to support Bangkok's pumping. The agency yesterday began handing over 16 of the 20 pumps to the Khlong Saen Saep pumping station in Nong Chok district. This is a solution to prevent water from neighboring Chachoengsao from entering the district. The remaining four pumps will be reserved for replacements when other pumps operate around the clock.

Water levels in eastern Bangkok are still increasing day by day. The FROC is expected to close three Khlong 8, 9, and 10 flood discharge ports to reduce the amount of water from Pathum Thani province from the east of the capital. The closure of the floodwaters earlier has met with fierce opposition from Pathum Thani's Lam Luk Ka people. The outskirts fear the closure of the floodgate to save Bangkok will worsen the flooding situation in the area. However, the two sides reached consensus after RID promised to deploy 27 more pumps to help flood the flood of Lam Luk Ka.

Diagram of drainage channel in Bangkok. (Photo: Bangkok post)

Meanwhile, yesterday Sukhumbhand governor continued to order evacuation in many central districts of Bangkok. Currently, there are 11 districts in the Thai capital in the area of ​​population evacuation. Some other districts are also in a state of readiness to evacuate.

Floodwaters from the northern suburbs are still advancing into central Bangkok, flooding the Big C shopping center and Thai Airway headquarters. In the west, floodwaters in some roads have risen one meter and surrounded the Bangphai hospital, which is currently closed until November 16. In the east, the water reached the Bangchan industrial zone.

The Thai government said the first 6km in the dyke to prevent flooding with 18km long sandbags, extending from Khlong Prem Prachakorn canal, cutting through Vibhavadi Rangsit road, to the northern area of ​​Don Mueang airport, is nearly completed. When 18km of dike was completed, it would reduce more than 60% of the water flowing into Bangkok, facilitating the pumping of water out of the capital.

The last three months of flooding has affected 25 Thai provinces and cities, including Bangkok. The total number of deaths has now skyrocketed to 506 people.