Extraordinary times require exceptional people

All Bangkok now realize one cannot force nature to act as we desire all the time. Humans may be able to divert and temporarily change the course of nature, but in the end nature wins. We just have to learn to live more in accordance with the rules of nature rather than trying to beat it with our belief in modernization and human superiority.

A woman prepares krathong floats for sale in the flooded district of Lat Phrao in Bangkok, on the occasion of Loy Krathong festival yesterday.

So, as the unprecedented mass of water flows relentlessly down from the north and floods the lower basin, Bangkok's citizens are are beginning to accept the inevitable _ that part, if not all, of this City of Angels will experience flooding; and eventually it will be time to pick up the pieces.

Whatever we can do to let the floodwater pass _through man-made canals and pumping systems as well as natural waterways _ we must try. And if the water has to overflow onto the roads and into homes, so be it.

But nature _ water in this case _ seems to enjoy playing games with our minds. We all waited anxiously for weeks for the water to reach Bangkok and pass through to the Gulf of Thailand, with our attitude of "just get it over with". 

But the water seems to be taking its time, by drowning parts of Bangkok especially in Thon Buri on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and the suburbs of eastern Bangkok, laying siege to the inner city for yet another weekend.

For the inner city, the front-line is now at Klong Bang Sue. The "Big Bag" line constructed by the Transport Ministry is designed to slow down waterfowls so that the pumps of the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) at Klong Bang Sue can effectively divert the water into the river. 

If that does not hold, then the next line of defense will be Klong Samsen. And that means Victory Monument will become the front line. Finally, if water overflows the last line of defense which is Klong Saen Sap, then people working and living in the financial district and embassy row of Wireless and Silom roads will have to wade to work.

The window of opportunity to try and manage water diversion as best as possible will remain open till the end of this month, when another period of high tides is predicted.

If the Royal Irrigation Department and the BMA can work together without another shouting match, then we may be able to save the inner city from meter-high flooding. But even then, there is no definite guarantee that there will not be dampness to a lesser degree.

Apart from the bickering over bureaucratic turf and the politicking (both at the local and national levels) which impede the fight to defend homes and businesses within the flood-way, there is also the human traits of carelessness and irresponsibility. 

Garbage of all sorts which has been dumped into our rivers and canals, is stopping up sewage drains and much of it is now floating around flooded homes.

The amount of garbage is such that makes one wonder how the provinces and the BMA have been coping in the past: is all of it simply swept out of sight under somewhere, only to appear when water flushes it out? 

This huge amount of garbage is becoming a challenge for the government and local administrations to collect and destroy, as it is now causing water contamination and could become the main source of diseases and epidemics.

It is also amazing to see the amount of used foam boxes which are primarily used as food containers, and plastic bags flowing in the canals and stuck along the pumping areas. Others bigger throwaways include mattresses (yes, I did not believe it at first, either), which when absorbed with water become heavy and can cause damage to the pumps.

In the larger context, the government has appointed prominent personalities to work on two national committees. The first is the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF) and the second is the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management (SCWRM). 

The first is headed by Virabongsa Ramangkura and the second by Deputy Prime Minister, Kittiratt Na-Ranong, with Sumet Tantivejakul, a close confidant of His Majesty the King, as the chief adviser.

Both are high-powered committees working to map out the coming reconstruction of the country. Mr Virabongsa has a broader mandate, from strategic planning and implementation, to rebuilding Thailand's credibility in the eyes of investors and international partners.

His committee members include Pansak Viyaratn, a close adviser to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra; Prasert Bunsumpun, former president and CEO of PTT Plc; Visanu Krue-ngam, a respected lawyer and former deputy prime minister; and others whose personal credibility is recognised within and outside Thailand.

Mr Kittiratt's committee will concentrate on water management planning and implementation. This will be as equally difficult as the first committee's tasks, since Mr Kittiratt will be chairing meetings with water experts who do not necessarily see eye to eye. 

Each sees the problems differently. Most of them are involved in the day-to-day fight against the flooding, making final decisions hard to reach. And they also envision the long-term solution in distinct ways.

But both committees and their extraordinary members are necessary. The force of nature's destruction is understandable, but the relief and reconstruction, if mismanaged, will not be excusable. 

At stake is not only the personal credibility of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and that of her administration, but also the credibility of Thai state, which includes the bureaucracy and its technocrats, and the entire Thai private sector.

Thailand must prove that, as a nation, it has the will and capability to face the threat of destruction and survive; to be able to pick itself up and walk on. The Thai state must prove it can take care of its population and stakeholders, including foreign investors and friends, and exert enormous effort in rebuilding what has been lost.

The government must therefore not let the two national committees become a mere talking shop or bodies to deflect political attacks. These committees must be equipped with full support, especially in terms of budget, and invested with full authority in both the planning and implementation stages. Petty politics must not be allowed to interfere with the reconstruction efforts.

At the same time the committee members must set aside their individual egos and aspirations and ensure that the work process is non-partisan and incorruptible. These are extraordinary times which require exceptional people with strong political will to make the changes necessary to rebuild our nation.