Bangkok residents clash over flood walls

Posted by Sukhumwit Steve on November 18th, 2011 filed in transport

Fed up with being on the flooded side of a sandbag wall protecting inner Bangkok, residents of Pathum Thani tore part of it down. An estimated 2,000 residents dismantled a 70m stretch of the levee which allowed some of the stagnant flood water to go through. While the barrier had stopped water from flowing into the northern Bangkok district, it had not allowed it to drain off naturally.

When people on the dry side of the barrier saw the water oozing through the breached barrier, a massive argument ensued. Residents of the flooded areas ringing the inner city say that Bangkok should take more floodwater and allow it to pass naturally through to the Gulf of Thailand. While northern and western areas of Bangkok remain flooded, cities and factories in the region of Ayutthaya north of Bangkok are mopping up as floodwaters have already gone.

Thai government and Bangkok administration officials say that the floods will probably still threaten central Bangkok until at least mid-December. Bangkok’s transport infrastructure is still functioning, although there are some delays on long-distance buses and trains to and from the capital. Despite the fact that Don Muang Airport is inundated with water, Thailand’s main air gateway at Suvarnabhumi Airport is operating normally. Suvarnabhumi is 25kms east of Bangkok and out of the path of the floods.