Flooding in Thailand
October 14, 2011
Yingluck, facing her toughest test since coming to power, assured the public the Government's Flood Relief Operation Centre (FROC) and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) were doing all in their power to ensure Bangkok was protected from rising flood waters.
City administration workers, military personnel and volunteers have been working to deepen canals and strengthen the kilometers of levies to prevent flooding. Officials are preparing contingency plans if roads leading to the main international Suvhanbhumi Airport, built on reclaimed swamp and opened in 2006, is cut off by rising flood waters to regular passengers. Airport officials said they were looking to ferry passengers in buses or other vehicles if access roads were cut.
In suburban malls and food halls stocks of bottled water and ready to eat meals were cleared from the shelves, forcing owners to limit sales to individuals were supplies remained.
Severe flooding
The floods, the most severe in decades, have claimed almost 300 lives, affecting 2.4 million people largely in the northern and central plains at the heartland of rice growing and industrial centers on the country. On Bangkok's rising Chao Phraya River, boat taxi operator Pi Num says while the capital has so far been spared the main deluge, many outside the city have been badly affected. "In Ayutthaya and Saraburi (provinces) the water is very, very high. Many, many people have been affected. Some are no longer living (at home) but outside," he said.
In Ayutthaya floods have inundated major industrial estates. The flooding has caused Honda and Toyota automobile assembly plants to be shut down. Thai Industry Ministry officials say up to eight industrial estates and parks, several in the Ayutthaya province, and over 200,000 workers were under threat from the floods.
Thanomsri Fongarunrung, a senior economist with Phatra Securities, says the concern is the industrial zones and estates lie at the heart land of Thailand's manufacturing industry. "Our concern is that the central area, where many manufacturers of automobiles and electronics are located, is flooded right now. And it could get worse if the water reaches Bangkok."
Economists say the floods could cost up to five billion US dollars and lower growth by one percent, with the downturn felt hardest in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Impact on the economy
Thansomsri fears the floods will have a negative impact on investment in the country, as investors may now rethink plans to expand in Thailand. Combined with the government's push to raise incomes, investors may look elsewhere in the region, she says.
Bhitchit Rattakul, executive director for the Asian Preparedness Centre and former governor of the capital city, says that while Bangkok is largely surrounded by floods, flood walls along the Chao Phraya River appear to be holding. But in outlying regions such as Pathum Thani province, the walls were vulnerable. He said it could be some time before the floods are fully dispersed. "At least another 50 days because the volume of water is still up in the north (of Thailand)."
The province of Ayutthaya, 60 kilometers north of Bangkok is under water. "At Ayutthaya we don't see any piece of land at all now. All we see is water. It's all submerged," he says, adding that the flooding is worse still further north, in the Nakhon Sawan area.
Failed planning
Lecturer in urban planning at Chulalongkorn University, Danai Thaitukoo, points out that Thailand has repeatedly failed to be prepared for such disasters. "We know, all we know we can expect that it's going to be flood or it's going to be a lot of water. I would say we're not really prepared for flood or any kind of natural disaster."
Smith Dharmasaroja, former director of the meteorological department, believes officials have failed to adopt long term planning methods to prepare for the flood season. "If you use the long range forecast like other countries have done, Thailand would have been saved from the flood," Smith said.
Thailand's rainy seasons are predictable and better water management is required to store water in the country's dams during the wet season. This would require releasing water before the rains began. But instead, the country's dams were filled some weeks ago, forcing authorities to release water into the river systems.
Improving flood management
Efforts to improve flood water management over the past decade led to the construction of the 2.5 meter flood walls along the Chao Phraya River, which stretch 70 kilometers to the north of the city. But Smith says Bangkok remains vulnerable to flooding. "Bangkok is in a very dangerous situation. If they let the water from the north and north eastern parts of Thailand go south, Bangkok will get flooded," he says.
He sees the need for greater coordination between government departments. "There are too many departments concerning the water management. That's why we have a problem, we don't know. They don't talk to each other so they don't know how to manage or let go of the water."
Author: Ron Corben
Editor: Sarah Berning