BMA to get 71 water pumps

The government's Flood Relief Operations Centre will provide a total of 71 pumps for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to use to drain water out of the capital city, Froc director Pracha Promnok said Monday.

Pol Gen Pracha, the justice minister, said that of the 71 water pumps, 48 were bought with Froc's budget from China, 17 borrowed from the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning, and six borrowed from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

The BMA originally asked Froc for 60 pumps.

Pol Gen Pracha Promnok

All the water pumps were expected to be in place in 15 days, as some of those from China had not yet arrived, he said.

The minister said the people could rest assured that both agencies were working as one to prevent more water coming into the capital and were draining existing water out of the capital city.

Froc spokesman Thongthong Chandrangsu said the water pumps from China were expected to arrive in Bangkok tonight.

BMA city clerk Charoenrat Chutikan thanked Froc for its help.

With no fresh runoff arriving from the North, the water pumps would greatly relieve the people's suffering and reduce that damage to inner Bangkok.

Mr Charoenrat said the BMA and the Interior Ministry's public works and town and country planning departments had laid agreed where to install the water pumps, which were expected to be in place in a few days.

Most would be placed at various pumping stations at Khlong Phra Khanong, Khlong Ratchamontri, Khlong Bangkok Yai, Khlong Dao Khanong, Khlong Bon, Khlong Bang Khen Mai, Khlong Bang Khen Kao, Khlong Thewet, Khlong Bang Sue, and Khlong Bang Na which are scattered over inner and outer Bangkok, as well as the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phraya river.

Mr Charoenrat said it could not yet be assessed how many days it would take to completely drain the floodwater from Bangkok, because it was not known how much water would still seep into the protected area of inner Bangkok from the flooded areas to the north.

BMA deputy city clerk Jumpol Samphaothong said the water pumps would be of much help and most of them would be used to drain water out into the Chao Phraya river.

Flood centre spokesman Palangkoon Klahan said Froc now would launch an operation to "hold back" water flowing into Bangkok by laying a wall of "big bags" along the eastern flood barrier and speed up draining water out through areas east and west of Bangkok.

Gen Palangkoon said the big bags had proven effective in holding back water flowing to Bangkok and cushioning the impact of the flood torrent.

The big bags were proving better than the defences of Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi provinces, which were hard-hit, he said.

The spokesman said the flood situation in Bangkok was no longer worrying. The BMA, meanwhile, was required to speed up dredging shallow canals and removing water hyacinth and other weeds which obstruct the flow of water.