Government officials are pointing the finger at City Hall for the slow pace at which floodwaters are receding from Bangkok’s main streets and roads.
According to Flood Monitoring Panel Chairman Royol Chitradol, flooding could have been prevented if City Hall had followed their recommendation to improve drainage systems.
Recent downpours have left thousands of Bangkok commuters and motorists stranded and some low-lying areas under water. Mr Royol cited drainage flaws and very small sewers at Vibhavadi Rangsit Road as well as clogged drains at Sutthisan intersection, two of the hardest hit areas.
Instead of boasting about the giant underground tunnels it had built as storm drains, he suggested that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration use water pumps in canals to speed up the drainage. Royol explained that the city’s landscape is flat and water will not flow into the underground storm drains that City Hall has dug.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on the other hand, said slow drainage of floodwaters in Bangkok may have been caused by different reasons. She cited garbage in sewers, clogged canals, and the possibility that the underground tunnels are not working their full capacity.
The Bangkok Post reported that the city has seven drainage tunnels for flood management. They diameters ranging from 3 meters to over 5 meters. However, the system was designed to drain only 155.5 cubic meters of water per second.
According to Deputy Bangkok governor Teerachon Manomaiphibul, this month’s rainfall measured at 800 mm, and half of that amount was from last week’s rains. He said the rain volume was more than 100 mm per day.
National Disaster Warning Centre Director Somsak Khaosuwan also warned people in Bangkok and nearby provinces to expect more rain until Saturday.
