Pramote backs City Hall in sandbags row

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Pramote backs City Hall in sandbags row

Drain blocking a crisis response, says BMA

Published: 10 Oct 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Water expert and former director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department Pramote Maiklad has backed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in the sandbags controversy.

The Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC) and the BMA are locked in a dispute over the placement of sandbags in the city's drains.

The WFMC said the sandbags disrupt water drainage, while the BMA claimed it is part of the city's flood prevention measures.

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bula
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Discussion 28 : 11 Oct 2012 at 07.5428
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schuimpje #20 - I share my comment on your statement "But then our dear PTP starts to grab headlines with all types of backstabbing which clearly is only for political gains." I don't know why BP not posted it. PTP is asking for accountability and it is not just the opposition parties' job. Where is the backstabbing. It is your problem for others to gain political advantage.
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peterd
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Discussion 27 : 10 Oct 2012 at 17.3527
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#26, so you explain that it can be an electoral argument. Anyway, a canal have systems to regulate and evacuate the water. The roads have the drains, if you put sandbags to block this drains, the roads are flooded when have heavy rain. You can already watch the videos on Youtube (last year) for the roads (flooded) with blocked drains...
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kasper
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Discussion 26 : 10 Oct 2012 at 15.3826
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If I was the BMA I would let the government remove all the sandbags from the drains while filming the whole thing.
Then I would wait till the next time the water level in the canals is above street level, and film water pouring out of the exact same drains onto the street.
Next I would clip the 2 videos together, end the video with the written order from the PTP science minister to remove the sandbags, and use it as my main campaign video for the governor election!
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bula
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Discussion 25 : 10 Oct 2012 at 14.5925
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schuimpje #20 - what you are explaining for BMA has nothing to do with the specific order that the WFMC gave. Check with the relevant authority, don't just depend on news reports or social media speculation. An order is an order. BMA has to comply first.
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dao
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Discussion 24 : 10 Oct 2012 at 14.5224
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Headline should read PT makes a mountain out of a mole hill hoping to get some votes for the governor election next month .Its pretty common sense why the bags were there .No one is making any secret about it except PT who is trying to spin it .People in Bangkok arent as gullible as your voter base PT .Please try again .
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onlyasking
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Discussion 23 : 10 Oct 2012 at 14.4923
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Bangkok is very flat and in certain places water can in actual fact come out of drains and flood streets, we saw it last year. But the solution to the problem is not to block drains with sandbags. There are various low tech solutions to the problem, but you need to install such devices before the time and not wait untill the raining season. When you use sandbags you run the risk of bags blocking the sewerage system like in the Min Buri case.
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drsmith
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Discussion 22 : 10 Oct 2012 at 14.3422
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If they fail to comply to remove the sandbags, they will send their own men to remove them. Where is the incentive in the BMA to do anything? When the BMA operates as a dicatorial state within the Nation, strong measures need to be forced by the government to ensure compliance. With all the police and army under the national government you would think they would have the necessary tools to force compliance? However this is another example of how people only care for themselves, take care of themselves and at the expense of everyone else in the world.
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khunpaul
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Discussion 21 : 10 Oct 2012 at 12.5321
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The sandbags were employed as a technique to prevent water from Hua Mark canal from flowing into the sewers, which could flood Srinakarin Road. The sandbags stuffed in the drains on Srinakarin Road did not affect the drainage capacity in that area, BMA spokesman Wasan Meewong
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schuimpje
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Discussion 20 : 10 Oct 2012 at 12.3820
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Bula I disagree. The BMA has to follow general guidelines which are very vague at the moment as stated in the article.
I can imagine they would read something like: "keep Bangkok dry"...that's all.
So BMA is doing just that, following the guidelines and doing that with the knowledge they have of their City's systems.
I'd rather have them disobey and keep my house dry...easy to say its wrong if your house is not in such area.

But then our dear PTP starts to grab headlines with all types of backstabbing which clearly is only for political gains.
I am sure that in about 3 weeks time, you will hear nothing about this story anymore and PTP will move to the next opportunity for that.
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peterl
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Discussion 19 : 10 Oct 2012 at 12.0519
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To put it mildly, blocking drains as a flood management technique is counter-intuitive, so the onus clearly is on the BMA to explain and justify its use of this technique, something it has so far failed to do.
Not long ago a Democrat spokesman accused the goverment of covertly blocking the drains with sandbags and other materials as a ploy to cause flooding and undermine the Democrat controlled BMA's credibilty in discharging its flood mangagement function. Now it has emerged that the BMA is in fact itself putting sandbags in the city's drains as part of its flood management strategy. Well, how about that!
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Pramote backs City Hall in sandbags row | Bangkok Post: news