Pathum Thani: Despite doubts about the efficiency of a broader flood-prevention scheme, residents near the Rangsit Prayunsak canal in Pathum Thani province say a new concrete wall could protect them from the next flood.
The wall is one of the projects in Pathum Thani aimed at saving the province from being inundated like it was in 2011.
Built by the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning, the flood barrier mainly protects Muang Ake city.
More than 1,000 houses there were swamped for weeks after the 2011 floods and were left severely damaged.
But the location of the wall's construction did cause disagreement.
A road runs along the edge of the city and there are houses across the street between the road and the canal.
The 8km wall cuts between the road and the houses; if there's a flood, these houses will be inundated.
Yet that wasn't the homeowners' main concern. They didn't want to be disconnected from the road and the city.
To avoid confrontation with the local landlords, the department decided to leave gaps in the concrete for vehicles and people to pass through.
"It looks like broken teeth," said Durian Sripetch, a resident of Lak Hok community.
Of course, that means water could pass through, too.
Ms Durian, 65, said she wasn't sure whether the flood wall would be able to prevent the city of Pathum Thani flooding.
But officials have promised to fill the holes with pile sheets and sandbags if there is a flood, she said.
Pakaimas Prakaisanti, a 55-year-old villager, said she was happy with the concrete wall because at least she won't have to build an entire wall of sandbags, like she and other villagers did in 2011, if the water rises again.
Ms Pakaimas lives on the strip between the wall and the canal. She said the canal-side communities have been told that an additional 157cm concrete wall would be built to protect them.
Although the wall in front of her house is a bulky, grey new presence, she said she doesn't see it as "eye pollution", but rather a shield that could save her from car accidents that might occur on the road.
Chompoo Somora, an official of Lak Hok Municipality who supervised the project, insisted the structure will perfectly protect the communities in Pathum Thani.
He said the flood-prevention wall, between Lak Hok and Rangsit Klong 4, will be supported by a newly-established pumping station to drain water from the city into the Chao Phraya River.
The new station aims to speed up the water flow, easing the Chulalongkorn water pumping station.
It's one of 116 new water pumping stations along the Chao Praya River built by the Department of Royal Irrigation to ease the risk of flooding.
Meanwhile, the private sector has also built its own protection.
As one of the seven industrial estates hit by the 2011 flood, Nava Nakorn Industrial Zone has invested more than 1.2 billion baht to build a 20.6km concrete wall, at a height of 5.5m above sea level, to protect its 6,500-rai property, a source said.
The source also said five water pumping stations have been built to support the wall. With a draining capacity of 2,500 cubic metres per hour, the vast property can be drained in just three hours.
A retention pond has also been created to hold more than 700,000 cubic metres during the rainy season.
With the flood prevention project completed, the industrial estate will never flood again, he said. But that doesn't mean they aren't taking precautions.
The contractors on the project are working closely with state officials, monitoring the water level in Rapeepat and Premprachakorn canals and keeping their clients updated.
The clients would be immediately informed if the water level reaches 4m above average sea level, he said.