Thais work to save Bangkok
Source: Agencies |
October 16, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
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RESCUE workers reinforced make-shift walls and sand-bags around Bangkok yesterday as the worst floods in half-a-century threatened Thailand's low-lying capital after swamping entire provinces in the north.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra sought to reassure Bangkok's 12 million people would largely escape floods that have swept over a third of Thailand since July, killing at least 297 people, causing about US$3 billion in damage and turning villages and industrial parks into lakes.
The north, northeast and center of Thailand have been worst hit and Bangkok - much of it only 2 meters above sea level - is at risk as water overflows from reservoirs in the north, swelling the Chao Phraya river that winds through the densely populated city.
Yingluck said Bangkok is well fortified after authorities raised embankments at the three outer areas.
Despite official assurances, residents stocked up on bottled water, instant noodles, rice and canned goods, emptying shelves in some major markets. Many parked their cars in elevated garages, or piled sand-bags in front of shop-houses and homes.
"If we are not prepared for the floods, it is hard to imagine what will happen if the government cannot help us in time," said Sompong Pinmaninsab, a bank worker in Ta Prachan, a Bangkok district known for its markets next to the Chao Phraya river. "Anything can happen."
Water released from several dams should reduce the chance of floods, Yingluck said, as northern run-off water approaches Bangkok over the weekend, coinciding with high estuary tides that hamper the flow of water into the sea.
"We will protect strategic areas and the heart of the economy such as industrial zones, the central part of all provinces and the Thai capital as well as Suvarnabhumi Airport, industrial estates and evacuation centers," she said, referring to Bangkok's main international airport.
The United States dispatched a C-130 military transport aircraft with 1,000 sand-bags and 10 Marines in a humanitarian mission, US embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler said.
Twenty-five of Thailand's 77 provinces are flooded with 1.62 million hectares of farmland under water - about 16 times the size of Hong Kong. Nearly 800,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. Thousands of people were staying in evacuation centers.
Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Sawan provinces north of Bangkok have been devastated.
Floods have swallowed up homes, swamped streets and destroyed industrial parks, partly a result of desperate measures to shield the capital.
To protect the Bangkok, authorities have reinforced its last defenses - a 4 kilometer flood barrier along a canal and a sluice gate in Pathum Thani Province.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra sought to reassure Bangkok's 12 million people would largely escape floods that have swept over a third of Thailand since July, killing at least 297 people, causing about US$3 billion in damage and turning villages and industrial parks into lakes.
The north, northeast and center of Thailand have been worst hit and Bangkok - much of it only 2 meters above sea level - is at risk as water overflows from reservoirs in the north, swelling the Chao Phraya river that winds through the densely populated city.
Yingluck said Bangkok is well fortified after authorities raised embankments at the three outer areas.
Despite official assurances, residents stocked up on bottled water, instant noodles, rice and canned goods, emptying shelves in some major markets. Many parked their cars in elevated garages, or piled sand-bags in front of shop-houses and homes.
"If we are not prepared for the floods, it is hard to imagine what will happen if the government cannot help us in time," said Sompong Pinmaninsab, a bank worker in Ta Prachan, a Bangkok district known for its markets next to the Chao Phraya river. "Anything can happen."
Water released from several dams should reduce the chance of floods, Yingluck said, as northern run-off water approaches Bangkok over the weekend, coinciding with high estuary tides that hamper the flow of water into the sea.
"We will protect strategic areas and the heart of the economy such as industrial zones, the central part of all provinces and the Thai capital as well as Suvarnabhumi Airport, industrial estates and evacuation centers," she said, referring to Bangkok's main international airport.
The United States dispatched a C-130 military transport aircraft with 1,000 sand-bags and 10 Marines in a humanitarian mission, US embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler said.
Twenty-five of Thailand's 77 provinces are flooded with 1.62 million hectares of farmland under water - about 16 times the size of Hong Kong. Nearly 800,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. Thousands of people were staying in evacuation centers.
Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Sawan provinces north of Bangkok have been devastated.
Floods have swallowed up homes, swamped streets and destroyed industrial parks, partly a result of desperate measures to shield the capital.
To protect the Bangkok, authorities have reinforced its last defenses - a 4 kilometer flood barrier along a canal and a sluice gate in Pathum Thani Province.
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