The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has declared the derelict New World department store, including its ground floor fishpond, off-limits.
City officials inspect retained floodwater, which has become a fish pond, inside the abandoned and badly damaged New World shopping mall in Bang Lamphu. City Hall ordered it to be knocked down 10 years ago. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
Pramern Krairos, deputy director of Phra Nakhon district office, inspected the store in Bang Lamphu and ordered it closed for safety reasons with immediate effect.
A committee will work with the BMA’s Public Works Department to inspect the building and report its findings in a month, he said.
If found unsafe, the building will be demolished and the fish removed from the inundated floor.
Otherwise, the committee will order the owners, who also own the former Kaewfah Plaza department store, to adopt safety measures which will allow them to maintain the building as well as the fishpond.
Mr Pramern said the building structure seemed fine, but he feared young visitors might fall into the pond.
He said he feared water in the pond also could be a source of infection.
Officials from the BMA's Department of Environment have collected samples of water from the pond to test its quality, and sprayed pesticide to kill mosquitoes.
The troubled New World mall was built in 1982.
The owner obtained permission from the BMA to build a four-storey building but illegally added another seven floors. In 1994, the BMA took the owner to court.
The Supreme Court ordered the owner to remove the additional floors in 1997. The owner defied the order, choosing to pay a daily fine.
In 2004, part of the building collapsed, killing a passer-by.
The store was later closed down but holes in the roof allowed rain to get into the building and, over the years, the ground floor which was inundated became a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Nearby vendors released fish into the water to kill mosquito larvae and the building turned into a fish pond for tourists.
A resident who asked to be identified only as Toom complained the pond became an issue when details were published on social media years ago.
Tourist visitors increased after the publicity. Before that, only 10 to 20 people came to feed the fish each day, she said.
Ms Toom said residents of the neighbourhood are not worried about the building collapsing because they believe the foundations are strong enough.
Water in the pond seemed in good condition as it never gave off any smells.
"If there was anything infecting the water, the fish would have died long ago," Ms Toom said.