BMA readies ambitious recovery plan Compo, business help, drainage boost planned

City Hall is expected to rubber-stamp a flood recovery and prevention master plan this month to strengthen the capital's resilience.

Following approval of the draft plan by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) executives, a committee will carry out a review and then allocate a budget, said Deputy Bangkok Governor Pornthep Techapaiboon.

In the short term, six key steps will be completed within three months. They include flood compensation payments, work placements for employees who lost their jobs in the crisis and financial assistance for business operators and repairs to public utilities and public areas. 

Details of the compensation are still being finalized, but farmers, for example, could qualify for 10,000 baht worth of fertilizer, livestock and crops.

The measures also comprise better healthcare for flood victims, and improved security in flood-hit areas to safeguard private property.

In the medium term, the measures deal mainly with improving Bangkok's flood drainage system, water management database, flood warning system, and cooperation with state agencies such as the Royal Irrigation Department and the Meteorological Department.

In the long term, the BMA intends to boost its flood prevention system by building permanent floodwalls alongside vulnerable waterways in residential areas.

Houses that were illegally built along waterways and the Chao Phraya River will be removed to improve water flow. The BMA plans to find an alternative location for the squatters to live in.

Embankments along the Chao Phraya river as well as other main canals in eastern and western Bangkok will be raised to between 3m and 3.5m.

Some roads in eastern and western Bangkok will also be heightened so they can better serve as flood barriers following advice from His Majesty the King, said Mr Pornthep.

Kaem ling water retention areas will also be increased in capacity and more pump stations will be built to improve drainage into the Gulf of Thailand.

Other long-term measures include improving canals and waterways to increase drainage.

The BMA also has a plan to build a flood drainage tunnel with sluice gates underneath a number of canals in addition to installing more water-pushing devices.

A new water management system will be put in place to prevent floodwater from mixing with sewage and causing health problems.

As some measures will involve large construction projects, planning laws will have to be amended and new ones drafted and passed to allow changes to the city layout.

City Hall will provide a compensation scheme for people affected by the construction works, Mr Pornthep said.

A new flood alert system will also be developed to keep members of the public informed about the water levels.

Some basic irrigation engineering knowledge will be provided so people can better prepare for future floods.

Mr Pornthep said an independent body comprising members of the media and local and international professional organizations will monitor and evaluate implementation of the plan.