Flooding in Bangkok

[Surfcrest]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Widespread-flooding-hits-Bangkok-early-Tuesday-30288697.html

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bangkok-lashed-200mm-rains-past-24-hours/

As the rain continues in Bangkok, the water levels continue to rise. Flooding hits low lying areas in Bangkok.

Surfcrest

[Patanawet]

As I said on another thread -- I've been 'rained into' bars in Silom Soi4 twice this week. Wonderful!
Don't forget to protect your wallet and phone from this Songkran from the heavens.

[fountainhall]

After the worst rainfall in Bangkok for 25 years on Monday night with massive flooding that meant many people just could not get to work, the blame game inevitably starts. The Bangkok governor says flooding is inevitable because the city is so low-lying. He rejects claims from experts who tell him that inefficient and ineffective drainage is the problem. And it has been the problem for years - but little gets done about it. In the meantime, city residents are preparing themselves for further monsoon flooding for the rest of this week.

[cdnmatt]

Are plans to move Thailand's capital to Chiang Mai still in the works at all? Anyone know? I know that was on the discussion table at one point at least. Looks like those discussions might have to get sped up a bit, before Bangkok becomes Atlantis. This is an annual problem now, and it's not going o get any better as the years tick by.

[dinagam]

Moving the capital to Chiang mai was probably Thaksin's idea in his grand scheme for the red shirt faction.

[cdnmatt]

Well, there's loads of scientists who say Bangkok has about 20 - 30 years left, before it basically becomes Atlantis. Time will tell...

[dinagam]

Fret not. Loads of engineers, scientists & technology experts are currently working on submersible & flying automobiles & kayaks, and if ever Bangkok got inundated one could still be able to enjoy the shows at Soi Twilight aquariums.

[cdnmatt]

Bangkok is sinking because they built the capital on swamp land. The oceans are rising. Then weather these days is all over the place. Doesn't take a genius to realize Bangkok is in serious trouble 20 years from now.

And yeah, there has been talk in the past about moving the capital to Chiang Mai. Whether or not that discussion is still in the cards, I have no idea.

[fountainhall]

Bangkok is sinking because they built the capital on swamp land. The oceans are rising. Then weather these days is all over the place. Doesn't take a genius to realize Bangkok is in serious trouble 20 years from now..
There's an article in The Guardian today about Beijing sinking by around 11 cms per year. It ends by adding -


Bangkok is dropping annually by as much as 12cm, similar to Beijing, according to the Remote Sensing researchers
I reckon the trouble will have started long before 20 years are up!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/24/beijing-has-fallen-chinas-capital-sinking-by-11cm-a-year-satellite-study-warns

[dinagam]

I guess there's no need now for a referendum on Bangkokexit.

[Patanawet]

Bangkok is sinking because they built the capital on swamp land.

A bit like the airport?

[fountainhall]

A bit like the airport?
Partly. But I believe Bangkok's sinking is also something to do with the huge number of klongs which were filled in after the 1950s to create the city's main roads. Bangkok used to be named the Venice of the East because it had so many klongs literally criss-crossing the city. Filling in so many appears to have affected the city's substructure resulting in a greater degree of sinking.

[Faranglaw]

Interesting. I had also read in Bangkok Post, I believe, that the weight of the many high-rises was contributing.

[Surfcrest]

https://twitter.com/StickboyBangkok/status/747278884429692929/photo/1

Stickboy is reporting flooding in K.K. now.

Surfcrest

[Buck Bee]

Are / were these floods worse than the 2011 floods?