A woman takes her belongings out of her home, which is in danger of collapsing. Residents rushed to evacuate 20 three-storey shophouses on Soi Ramkhamhaeng 58/4 in Bang Kapi district yesterday after the building subsided and city officials declared the area a danger zone. |
The area around Soi Ramkhamhaeng 58/4 was declared dangerous by City Hall yesterday after a commercial building with 20 shophouses started sinking.
The three-storey building began to sink on Friday. An initial inspection yesterday by officials from Bang Kapi district office found the building was leaning back 30 degrees.
"We are watching whether the building continues to sink," said deputy Bangkok governor Banasopit Mekvichai.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) still cannot identify the exact cause. However, officials believe it might have resulted from a deterioration of the building's structure.
The buildings have been in use for more than 30 years, said Bang Kapi district chief Prasert Tongnun.
Residents have taken their assets and belongings from their homes in the declared dangerous area. Tents were erected by Bang Kapi officials as temporary shelters for residents.
The Ramkhamhaeng area has long encountered serious subsidence problems due mainly to the excessive use of ground water. A civil engineering lecturer at Ramkhamhaeng University has said that certain areas continue to sink almost 10cm a year.
One building at the university, which mostly houses lecture rooms, is also sinking. The concrete steps at the entrance have sunk more than 80cm. University staff and students are forced to use alternate wooden steps to enter the building.
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