Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt is still optimistic he can make Bangkok one of the world's 50 most liveable cities in the next five years.
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Speaking at the Bangkok Post Forum on the Vision of Bangkok 2030 as part of "THAILAND READY: Moving onto the Next Chapter" to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the Bangkok Post on Wednesday, the governor said cooperation is needed from all parties if the goal is to be achieved.
"Bangkok is the most visited city but 98th on the liveable cities list," he said, adding that he wanted to create a liveable city for all, through nine policies that will improve management in health, the environment, mobility, public safety, infrastructure, economy, education, creativity and city governance.
He said the future of city improvement is not about having megaprojects but enabling people -- including locals, newcomers and visitors -- to live happily and comfortably. The governor said the city has invested a lot in infrastructure such as 11 mass rapid transit lines but has not yet helped connect commuters to these mass transit services from their homes or offices.
He said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to provide feeder buses and more motorcycle taxis to improve mass transport services.
In addition, Bangkok has invested in large incinerators in the Nong Khaem and On Nut areas but garbage still piles up in some streets awaiting collection. This increases hygiene problems and the possibility of waste clogging drainage systems.
He said the BMA will launch a pilot project for people to separate food waste from other waste in three districts -- Phaya Thai, Pathum Wan and Nong Khaem -- with the aim of reducing waste in landfills.
Speaking about drainage, Mr Chadchart said the BMA has four mega water tunnels to address flood problems in Don Muang (13.5 kilometres), Ratchadaphisek-Suthisan (6.5km), Suan Luang Rama IX (9.5km) and Rama IX-Ramkhamhaeng (5km) but drainage systems coming from households or along streets are still clogged.
He said the BMA should not only focus on investing in megaprojects but also on small projects or initiatives that may not need a lot of investment.
He cited the Traffy Fondue application as an example. The app developed by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec) of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) can help the city manage many problems with minimum investment.
People can report problems about city facilities via the app and follow up on their complaints. "So far more than 50% of problems reported on it have been fixed," he said.