The federal government’s statement that it will take on the floods on a long-lasting basis is something we have actually been waiting a very long time for.
The requirement for long-lasting action versus flooding is important as every year we see parts of the nation wrecked by rainstorms, leading to the death and big financial damage.
The current casualty is the South where lots of individuals have actually been eliminated and lots of neighborhoods and locations wrecked, triggering billions of baht in damage.
Such a requirement was felt prior to when the nation was struck by the “excellent flood” of 2011. The Yingluck Shinawatra administration exercised a huge strategy with a huge spending plan. The effort was honorable, however public involvement at the same time was doing not have and set off public opposition. It was successfully dropped in the wake of the “Bangkok shutdown” political crisis that ended with the armed force’s intervention in 2014.
Ever since, floods have actually ended up being an annual phenomenon in the nation. In reality, it has actually ended up being so routine that a pattern has actually emerged. The Northeast and lower parts of the North are the very first areas to experience flooding when the monsoon rains get here around June. With the run-off from the North, the Central Plains are the beside suffer and later on as the rains proceed the South is impacted.
While the federal government blames the downpours for the heavy floods in the South, this year’s being the worst in 20 years, bad city preparation and terribly developed roadways and highways that obstruct waterways make the scenario even worse. The absence of efficient caution systems turns an issue into a crisis, which is unforgivable.
In revealing the anti-flood strategy previously today, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon stated authorities will tighten up town treatments, prohibiting individuals from constructing homes or other structures that obstruct water channels.
It is the very first time a leader has actually acknowledged the origin of the issue and guaranteed to repair it. This contrasts with previous efforts to fix the issue, which were quick-fix, shallow actions.
Gen Prawit stated the federal government will pick the city of Pattaya to pilot the drain system and authorities will study whether equipment can divert water from a flooded location to the sea within one to 2 hours after heavy rain.
What stays uncertain is the timeline– when will the strategy be completed and equated into action and who will be included?
Gen Prawit and the federal government, nevertheless, have actually stopped working to make it clear what they will finish with the lots of structures and structures– factories, real estate estates and roadways– that are currently resting on floodway zones.
When faced by the media about possible action, he merely ducked the concern.
It is those structures that intensified the flooding scenario in 2011 and it is for those factors the South was flooded this year.
With modern-day innovation, it is not too hard to discover those ill-placed structures. Such firms, like the Watering Department and regional administration firms, are expected to have floodway maps, and locations that function as gaem ling (monkey cheek) water-retention zones that need to be secured.
This is challenging however we hope the deputy prime minister is brave enough to put an end to the issue. Those structures need to be handled in due course or the anti-flood strategy will be absolutely nothing however a lost effort.
Editorial
Bangkok Post editorial column
These editorials represent Bangkok Post ideas about present concerns and circumstances.
Email: anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th
