Distinction in travel journalism
Is independent travel journalism important to you?
Click here to keep it independent

10 Feb, 2012

Thailand To Start Dredging Canals to Avert Future Flooding

============

Bangkok, Feb 8 — The Thai government has agreed to an integration of responsibility for dredging canals in and around Bangkok between the city government and nine ministries in order to improve the capacity of water management in Bangkok areas, according to a Cabinet announcement. A newly-established umbrella grouping, the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management, has been given responsibility for allocating the budgetary resources.

The central government will cooperate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to prevent future floods by providing assistance with canal dredging, watergate fixing, water pump designing and installing, alarming system connecting, as well as establishing plans and a tools warehouse. There are 43 canals waiting to be dredged under the integration of responsibility between BMA and 9 ministries, as follows:

1. Main canal dredging: 29 canals such as 1) BMA – 19 canals. 2) Ministry of Defense – 5 canals. 3) Ministry of Interior – 1 canal. 4) Ministry of Social Development and Human Security – 1 canal. 5) Ministry of Public Health – 2 canals. 6) Ministry of Labor – 1 canal. To implement canal dredging, the BMA – transferring budget to governmental agencies.

2. Additional canal dredging: 14 canals and extension of canal dredging length 5 canals such as 1) Ministry of Science and Technology – 2 canals. 2) Ministry of Defense – 10 canals. 3) Ministry of Interior – 1 canal. 4) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment – 2 canals. 5) Ministry of Transport – 1 canal. 6) Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives – 3 canals.

2011 Flood Costs Don Mueang Airport Bt200-300 Million Revenue

BANGKOK, Feb 7 ( (MCOT online news) — Bangkok’s second airport, Don Mueang Airport, which services mainly domestic traffic and cargo flights, lost Bt200-300 million (US$6.6-10 million) in revenue during the flood crisis between Oct-Nov 2011 which forced the airport to halt its services, Don Mueang Airport General Manager Group Captain Kanputt Mungklasiri said here on Tuesday.

Capt Kanputt, who is also Airports of Thailand (AoT) Executive Vice President said flight operations at the airport ceased on Oct 25 after its runways were flooded. The closure affected income by Bt50-60 million monthly with an accumulated loss of Bt200-300 million for four consecutive months. He said the airport has expenditures of around Bt70 million per month which AoT would shoulder.

Thai Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Director-General Woradet Hanprasert said last week that the CAD and AoT would jointly officially reopen Don Mueang Airport on March 2 to show the facility’s readiness for commercial use and that flights would begin on March 6.

As for the progress on commercial use of the airport, he said, the Business Development Department is studying the plans and he believed that if they are implemented, they could generate more revenue for the airport.

Under the development plan, there are six activities for the airport including maintenance centres for narrow-bodied aircraft, and for medium and small aircraft, an international trade centre, a regional flight simulation centre and a chartered flight terminal.