lonelywombat
May 28th, 2006, 09:10
Flood disaster tipped for city in next 2 months
Even bigger one picked for end of year
By Kultida Samabuddhi Onnucha Hutasingh
Bangkok could be hit by a flood disaster in the next two months, when the annual monsoon joins forces with the La Nina weather phenomenon triggering torrential rain, chairman of the National Committee on Natural Disaster Warning Smith Dharmasaroja has warned.
However, ''the worst flood'' is predicted to strike the city in November and December.
''It is likely that Bangkok will face one of the worst floods in its history at the end of the year due to a combination of the annual sea water intrusion, arrival of northern runoff and La Nina-triggered downpours,'' said Mr Smith.
La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It brings humidity from the sea to the land, leading to a sharp rise in rainfall.
La Nina has occurred for four months so far and would last for another eight months, said Mr Smith, also a former director-general of the Meteorological Department.
He urged agencies to step up flood prevention measures, including improving the water drainage system in the Mae Klong and Bang Pakong _ the two major rivers in the west and the east of Bangkok.
Mr Smith yesterday chaired a meeting at the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) on the flood and landslide warning system, in the wake of the northern floods, where 72 are reported dead and 42 still missing.
The NDWC will seek cabinet approval on Tuesday for a 288-million-baht budget to install 144 disaster warning towers, including 42 towers in the northern provinces.
The warning towers, which cost two million baht each, were the ''missing link'' in the country's disaster warning system, said Mr Smith. ''We can obtain the information we need from our satellites and radar stations, but we don't have warning towers to send out warnings to villagers,'' he said.
The 25-metre-high warning towers would relay warnings after receiving a signal from the NDWC headquarters in Nonthaburi.
Even bigger one picked for end of year
By Kultida Samabuddhi Onnucha Hutasingh
Bangkok could be hit by a flood disaster in the next two months, when the annual monsoon joins forces with the La Nina weather phenomenon triggering torrential rain, chairman of the National Committee on Natural Disaster Warning Smith Dharmasaroja has warned.
However, ''the worst flood'' is predicted to strike the city in November and December.
''It is likely that Bangkok will face one of the worst floods in its history at the end of the year due to a combination of the annual sea water intrusion, arrival of northern runoff and La Nina-triggered downpours,'' said Mr Smith.
La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It brings humidity from the sea to the land, leading to a sharp rise in rainfall.
La Nina has occurred for four months so far and would last for another eight months, said Mr Smith, also a former director-general of the Meteorological Department.
He urged agencies to step up flood prevention measures, including improving the water drainage system in the Mae Klong and Bang Pakong _ the two major rivers in the west and the east of Bangkok.
Mr Smith yesterday chaired a meeting at the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) on the flood and landslide warning system, in the wake of the northern floods, where 72 are reported dead and 42 still missing.
The NDWC will seek cabinet approval on Tuesday for a 288-million-baht budget to install 144 disaster warning towers, including 42 towers in the northern provinces.
The warning towers, which cost two million baht each, were the ''missing link'' in the country's disaster warning system, said Mr Smith. ''We can obtain the information we need from our satellites and radar stations, but we don't have warning towers to send out warnings to villagers,'' he said.
The 25-metre-high warning towers would relay warnings after receiving a signal from the NDWC headquarters in Nonthaburi.