waerth Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 UN Blames Govt for Poor Flood Management The United Nations has warned that natural disasters and floods in ASEAN are triggering a humanitarian crisis, claiming that no integrated effort to solve the turmoil will result in failure in tackling the after effects. The Voice of America or VOA has reported that natural disasters in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines have killed more than 700 people already and affected eight million residents. Moreover, Thailand's capital of Bangkok is under threat of floods, which have already submerged industrial estates and crippled the growing economy. UN ESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer pointed out that the main weakness to tackling the flood crisis in Thailand is the abundance of organizations to oversee water management. She noted the Thai government has failed to streamline the eight agencies involved, resulting in policies going in different directions. Heyzer said this problem is not only limited to Thailand but is being seen in other countries in the region. She further warned that this crisis may be just a prelude to future natural calamities. Various foreign media have pointed out the fact that what is seen in Thailand may not be a natural disaster but rather a human disaster as dams were not discharging as much water as they should, perhaps in hope of storing water for irrigation during the drought season. Therefore, when the rainy-season peaks, the dams are in full capacity and have to discharge water, causing this massive flooding. -- Tan Network 2011-10-20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 UN Blames Govt for Poor Flood Management The United Nations has warned that natural disasters and floods in ASEAN are triggering a humanitarian crisis, claiming that no integrated effort to solve the turmoil will result in failure in tackling the after effects. The Voice of America or VOA has reported that natural disasters in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines have killed more than 700 people already and affected eight million residents. Moreover, Thailand's capital of Bangkok is under threat of floods, which have already submerged industrial estates and crippled the growing economy. UN ESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer pointed out that the main weakness to tackling the flood crisis in Thailand is the abundance of organizations to oversee water management. She noted the Thai government has failed to streamline the eight agencies involved, resulting in policies going in different directions. Heyzer said this problem is not only limited to Thailand but is being seen in other countries in the region. She further warned that this crisis may be just a prelude to future natural calamities. Various foreign media have pointed out the fact that what is seen in Thailand may not be a natural disaster but rather a human disaster as dams were not discharging as much water as they should, perhaps in hope of storing water for irrigation during the drought season. Therefore, when the rainy-season peaks, the dams are in full capacity and have to discharge water, causing this massive flooding. -- Tan Network 2011-10-20 Sounds like they need more dams. Could another part of the problem be the adaption of more western agriculture practices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Sounds like they need more dams. Could another part of the problem be the adaption of more western agriculture practices? If they would have more dams in the north, BKK would be flooded by now, dams actually increase the speed and pressure of the water downstream. IMHO: For areas below sea level the Thais should talk to the dutch - BKK might be below sea level in the near future. In regard to the immediate response to such a catastrophe they should talk to the Japanese In regard to the north they have to consult with people with deep knowledge about foresting and water management. And of course they really have to talk to people with knowledge about city and landscape planning in times of climate change. It seems that in the past decades and today the Thai did and do almost everything wrong what can be done wrong. The level of incompetence is absolute surprising provided that LOS is the highest developed country in SE-Asia. It seems the Thai have a reach a level of incompetence which is slowly destroying the foundation of the nation. The flood has laid it bare. Populist politics, incompetence in the highest ranks, cronyism, greed and corruption, destabilizing central institutions like jurisdiction are not only about enrichment of the elite, but the flood shows that they have a devastating effect on the economy and ecology of the country and the genearl wellbeing of its people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 To quote myself: It seems the Thai have a reach a level of incompetence which is slowly destroying the foundation of the nation. The flood has laid it bare. Populist politics, incompetence in the highest ranks, cronyism, greed and corruption, destabilizing central institutions like jurisdiction are not only about enrichment of the elite, but the flood shows that they have a devastating effect on the economy and ecology of the country and the genearl wellbeing of its people. I just found an article which supports my opinion: ----- Nava Nakorn and Bang Kadi industrial estates in Pathum Thani province ended up getting submerged because the authorities, both at the estate and government levels, were disorganised, complacent, lacked knowledge about the power of the floods and over estimated the strength and reliability of flood barriers. Both the estates, now left dealing with huge damages, had refused to launch any coordinated efforts to enlist help from volunteers and told this writer just hours before the flood barriers were breached that they were okay and would be able to keep the water at bay. On Thursday, a contributor to the prachatai.com online newspaper, who reportedly lives in the Nava Nakorn estate, wrote that infighting, complacency and the lack of preparation by the estates' management were the main reasons for the failure to defend Nava Nakorn. The contributor added that though soldiers were there, the officer in charge did not have the power to make any important decisions on his own. http://www.nationmul...t-30168280.html ------ If the Thais don't learn fast from this catastrophe, I guess my foreign companies, especially the Japanese will move away from LOS. Especially the Japanese (with their troubles at home) can't afford to have production lines in a country which is unable to prevent such flooding, which almost probably will happen again in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Parts of Bangkok are already below sea level. The city's average elevation is 2m! haven't you ever seen the Chao Phaya River flowing upstream at high tide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 I just found an article which supports my opinion: ----- Nava Nakorn and Bang Kadi industrial estates in Pathum Thani province ended up getting submerged because the authorities, both at the estate and government levels, were disorganised, complacent, lacked knowledge about the power of the floods and over estimated the strength and reliability of flood barriers. Both the estates, now left dealing with huge damages, had refused to launch any coordinated efforts to enlist help from volunteers and told this writer just hours before the flood barriers were breached that they were okay and would be able to keep the water at bay. On Thursday, a contributor to the prachatai.com online newspaper, who reportedly lives in the Nava Nakorn estate, wrote that infighting, complacency and the lack of preparation by the estates' management were the main reasons for the failure to defend Nava Nakorn. The contributor added that though soldiers were there, the officer in charge did not have the power to make any important decisions on his own. :doah: WTF (What The FROC) It has taken them this long to come to that conclusion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Flood death toll reaches 356 22/10/2011 at 02:15pm A total of 356 people were confirmed dead and two people were missing in the floods that have inundated many provinces since July 25, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said on Saturday. The department on Friday reported the death toll at 342. Bangkok Post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldFun Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 i don't know about the dams. if they had emptied them too early & too much it might mean increased draught later on & also to be blamed so you cant win can you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 If they would have more dams in the north, BKK would be flooded by now, dams actually increase the speed and pressure of the water downstream. IMHO: For areas below sea level the Thais should talk to the dutch - BKK might be below sea level in the near future. In regard to the immediate response to such a catastrophe they should talk to the Japanese In regard to the north they have to consult with people with deep knowledge about foresting and water management. And of course they really have to talk to people with knowledge about city and landscape planning in times of climate change. It seems that in the past decades and today the Thai did and do almost everything wrong what can be done wrong. The level of incompetence is absolute surprising provided that LOS is the highest developed country in SE-Asia. It seems the Thai have a reach a level of incompetence which is slowly destroying the foundation of the nation. The flood has laid it bare. Populist politics, incompetence in the highest ranks, cronyism, greed and corruption, destabilizing central institutions like jurisdiction are not only about enrichment of the elite, but the flood shows that they have a devastating effect on the economy and ecology of the country and the genearl wellbeing of its people. I know in Arizona there were a lot of bad floods prior to putting up the Boulder Dam across the Colorado River. Thailand has a different terrain then Thailand but I still think using dams to their fullest might help. From what I understand the Thai government decided to fill the dams almost to capacity before the rain began. I think that was a dumb decision. I would have had the dams close to empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Parts of Bangkok are already below sea level. The city's average elevation is 2m! haven't you ever seen the Chao Phaya River flowing upstream at high tide? I don't think people realize the water stops flowing down the river to the sea twice a day but instead begins flowing upstream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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