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BMA gives Froc crisis ultimatum
THREATENS TO DITCH FLOOD PLAN EFFORTS IF COOPERATION NOT FORTHCOMING''

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday the BMA would come up with a new flood management plan if the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) does not spell out by tomorrow how it will cooperate in tackling the floods.

The BMA asked the Froc to provide water pumps and speed up flood drainage operations a week ago, but it had not received any response, the governor said.

City Hall also asked Froc to instruct the Royal Irrigation Department to open its 20 sluice gates in Nong Chok district to speed up water drainage to Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province, but only nine of 20 sluice gates had been opened.

"If the BMA doesn't get tangible support from the Froc within 48 hours, we will review our flood management plan," MR Sukhumbhand said. He did not elaborate.

Froc yesterday ordered additional pumps from Korea and Japan, and appealed to the private sector to donate pumps.

The Irrigation Department, on behalf of the government, denied it was refusing to cooperate. It said the BMA asked the wrong agency for the loan of pumps.

The growing dispute between the Froc and BMA came as the flood crisis worsened in several parts of Bangkok.

The governor said overflow from Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and Lat Phrao intersection was likely to reach Din Daeng, Saphan Kwai, and the Victory Monument within days since Bang Sue canal, which is an important water drainage route in the area, was swollen and could not take more water.

City Hall declared some parts of Din Daeng district as special surveillance areas. They are Rim Khlong Bang Sue community, Yu Charoen Housing Estate, Soi Inthamara 41 and Yu Charoen Housing Estate Phase 3.

Residents in those areas should move their belongings to higher ground and prepare for evacuation.

On Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, water on the road's inbound lanes in front of St John University was about 30cm.

The government was confident, however, that flooding in the northern part of the city would ease following the completion of the first six kilometres of the big-bag flood barrier on Saturday night.

Transport Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat said Froc has completed the big bag barrier, made of thousands of giant sand bags, to the north of Bangkok. The barrier runs from Lak Hok, Chulalongkorn sluice gate, the area above Don Mueang airport, to Khlong Sam Wa. Each bag weighs 2.5 tonnes.

The barrier was intended to stop flooding from the North that has been moving into central Bangkok within seven days.

For Thon Buri, in the western part of Bangkok, the BMA has issued an evacuation alert for residents in Soi Charan Sanitwong 13 and Tha Phra subdistrict in Bangkok Yai district and four subdistricts in Phasi Charoen district.

The four subdistricts are Khlong Khwang, Bang Duan, Bang Waek and Bang Chak.

MR Sukhumbhand added the BMA has been considering declaring two more subdistricts_Khuha Sawan and Bang Wa _ in Phasi Charoen district as evacuation areas.

City Hall also requires the Froc's assistance in instructing the Royal Irrigation Department to help drain floodwater in Thon Buri into the Sanam Chai-Mahachai canal and the Tha Chin River as soon as possible, said the Bangkok governor.

Water levels between Bang Kae and the Tha Phra intersections are about 85cm on average.
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More areas at risk due to lack of organisation

With the city centre, Suvarnabhumi airport and two industrial estates at risk, officials have been racing against the clock to drain water out of the eastern part of Bangkok through the city's canal system.

However, a lack of coordination between water management officials at both the city and national level has probably put more areas in danger.

In a worst-case scenario, the only option to solve the crisis would be to let the water drain through floodways _ which are not regulated by gates or pumps _ resulting in no control over the flow.

"Water drainage via floodways is something people on the job don't want to talk about," said Sutat Weesakul, a member of the Water Drainage in Disaster Areas Committee.

"They all know that by draining water via floodways, people downstream could be at high risk of being flooded."

The eastern side of Bangkok, home to Suvarnabhumi airport and the Bang Chan and Lad Krabang industrial estates, is a major concern for business, politicians and officials.

Usually, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) coordinate efforts to defend the area from flooding. On the outer rim, the RID has a series of major canals running from west to east to help channel excess water and drain it into the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province in the east.

The key canals are Rangsit and Khlong Hok Wa, which are connected to one another by a series of smaller canals running north-south from Khlong 1 to Khlong 16.

Khlong 13 normally sends excess water into Khlong Khlong Phra Ongchaochaiyanuchit, running north-south, to accelerate drainage into the Gulf of Thailand.

Sluice gates are the main tool. They are normally installed at the junctions where canals cross paths. At Khlong Hok Wa, seen as the last line of the city's northern defences, they are mainly installed on the upper parts of Khlong 6 and Khlongs 8-13.

But to regulate the water successfully, the RID needs the BMA to take some water into canals located inside His Majesty the King's dyke, which is a key barrier in the east against excessive flooding of the inner city.

Next to it is a vast area designated as floodways for the city.

The confrontation between residents and officials at Khlong Sam Wa last week reflected the extent to which the BMA and the RID are dependent on each other to regulate floodwaters.

On Sunday night, about 1,000 residents living along the canal rallied at the sluice gate on the canal running parallel to HM King's dyke to demand it be opened wider.

They claimed the narrow opening caused serious flooding in their communities. Residents destroyed the dyke running along the canal and parts of the gate.

The government eventually agreed to open the gate at the canal as demanded by the group. This would result in water flowing south into the Saen Saep canal which runs through the city and close to Bang Chan industrial estate.

Officials needed to regulate the sluice gates. They had to lower the gates on Khlong 9 and Khlong 10, running north-south from Khlong Hok Wa to slow the inflow of water in Khong Sam Wa. They also had to adjust the gate on Saen Saep canal, which runs northeast below Khlong Sam Wa to ensure the water level in inner Bang Kapi reached no higher than 0.25m.

According to a senior irrigation official, the BMA initially refused to cooperate. The water drainage committee was told that it was not informed the committee had assigned a technical group to come up with solutions, which reflected the committee's views, so it refused to acknowledge them. The situation has improved, but the water in Khlong Saen Saep has risen, with only 30cm left before it breaches the sides.

Officials have not yet decided to switch to the use of floodways, but the irrigation official said that given the massive amount of floodwater it is probably unavoidable. The situation has also been exacerbated by the fact that the water level is about to rise beyond the dykes and the sluice gates upstream, which could leave the RID powerless to regulate floodwaters.

The floodways area below it has only limited drainage infrastructure, which includes Saen Saep canal, Prawet Burirom canal, Samrong canal and the RID's water pumping stations.

The irrigation source, who also worked for the government's Flood Relief Operation Command, said there has been discord among officials on both sides. The BMA, he said, is supposed to help take the excessive water inside and manage it with its infrastructure. But the Khlong Sam Wa incident also revealed the wildcard factor of community demands, which has worsened the situation.

The official said the RID and the BMA needed to work more closely together and come up with ways to deal with social discord.

''It's not about water, but about how we work together, and also dealing with residents who are affected by flooding,''

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