Feuding residents reach compromise

Phrayasuren gate to be opened further; Lam Lukka residents to be compensated

Feuding residents of Pathum Thani's Lam Lukka and Bangkok's Sai Mai districts yesterday reached an agreement that the Phrayasuren sluice gate and two other gates would be opened wider and an additional Bt5,000 compensation paid to affected Lam Lukka residents by the end of November.

The two-hour negotiation between the residents, the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) ended with a promise by Lam Lukka residents not to damage sandbag embankments any further. 

Besides the Phrayasuren sluice gate, which was already opened to one meter, two others would be opened wider: the Khlong Song gate would be opened to 1.2 metres and the Khlong Mor Taek sluice gate would be opened to 50cm, Sukhumbhand said.

He said the three sluice gate openings shouldn't affect the Bang Chan Industrial Estate but might slow down the flow of water at Khlong Bang Bua and Khlong Lat Phrao, delaying the completion of drainage via the two canals by a week.

At the negotiation, the residents were told that, besides the additional Bt5,000 compensation to be paid to the first batch of affected residents by the end of November, those whose houses were partially damaged would get up to Bt20,000 assistance and those whose houses had been more badly affected would get Bt30,000.

Residents appeared content on being told that the flood water should be visibly lower in three days.

The Bang Chan Industrial Estate was on alert for flooding as the road in front of it from Bang Chan Intersection towards Min Buri was under 10cm-40cm of flood water. Sai Mai district office yesterday invited flood victims to register for Bt5,000 flood assistance until Wednesday.

Rangsit-Don Muang residents said yesterday that flood water in their homes had lowered by 20cm-30cm after the partial opening of the "Big Bag" embankment on Vibhavadi Road, and said they wouldn't tear down any more embankments. 

Rangsit Market residents laid 20,000 sandbags and installed water pumps to drain the marketplace yesterday, expecting the water to be gone by Monday, allowing a clean-up. 

It was also initially agreed among residents that priority for drainage and cleaning would be given to Rangsit Market, Tiratpornpat Market and Suchat Marketas the 200-year anniversary Rattanakosin Housing Estate.

FROC spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said the "Big Bag" embankment's partial opening hadn't affected inner Bangkok because the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had drained water to the point that the water on either side was of the wall was at a similar level. Therefore, he believed there would no problem turning the "Big Bag" embankment into a weir.

He said people living upstream of the embankment - including those in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong area - only wanted some flood water to be drained out. He said FROC would look for ways to drain the trapped floodwater and assess the upstream residents' problems.

In the meantime, the premier's water committee adviser Uthen Chatpinyo said he had inspected the Khlong Phasee Charoen and Khlong Sukhot sluice gates and their connected canals on Friday, and had met with Samut Sakhon Governor Apichat 

Todilokvej. They agreed that the Tha Chin River's Khlong Lad Ngew Lai, Khlong Lad Thakha and Khlong Lad Nang Thaen should be dredged so flood water would pass through faster.

The connecting Khlong Sukhot, Khlong Bang Toei and Khlong Sam Baht would be dredged and more water-pushing devices would be installed at Khlong Maha Sawat and Khlong Phasee Charoen, he said,

adding that two or three water pumps should be borrowed from Khlong Maha Sawat sluice gate to drain water into the Tha Chin River more quickly. He said this would help bring the flood crisis in Western Bangkok to an end in 15-20 days.

Meanwhile, BMA Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra had 40 water pumps installed at western Bangkok pumping stations to drain water out of the Thon Buri side of Bangkok into four main canals leading to the Tha Chin River. 

Water levels in Thon Buri's canals remain high and some 5 million cubic metres of water continue to pour into the area on a daily basis.

Ten more pumps were installed at Phra Khanong pumping station and three more placed at Thewet station. The BMA would also open Khlong Maha Sawat sluice gate 50cm wider, Sukhumbhand said. 

He added that the BMA needed to build permanent embankments along Khlong Maha Sawat on the Bangkok side to prevent floods in the future.

The governor urged the government and Nonthaburi province to consider building permanent embankments along their side of Khlong Maha Sawat. He said the BMA didn't want Nonthaburi residents to take the brunt of flooding for Bangkok. 

Sukhumbhand reported that the BMA was collecting 3,513 tons of garbage per day from 25 flood-affected districts - 73 per cent of the usual level of 4,313 tons - although Don Muang district saw only 30 per cent of garbage collected due to the severity of the situation there.