A wet week for the Governor

       It was good to see Bangkok's Governor wading through floods and getting his boots wet this week as he coordinated the efforts of city planners and irrigation engineers in draining off excess water from the inundated eastern suburbs. Equally welcome was MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra's apology and acceptance of responsibility because the floods had got out of control, causing inconvenience and traffic jams for much of the week.
       Backing this was the promise of a better drainage system for the worst affected area. Bangkok's citizens are used to promises but not to polite apologies and requests for forgiveness, so this pledge has the authority of a policy commitment that we should be able to trust.Countless millions of baht have been spent by taxpayers in recent decades on flood prevention safeguards including dykes, heavy-duty pumps, dredging, floodgates,sandbags and other drainage projects in an effort to make such appearances by the Governor unnecessary.
       But sometimes just too much water gets dumped on the city in too short a time and there is nowhere for it to go. Drainage Technology Department directorNarong Airasubkunakorn claimed that this week's rains had been the heaviest in 25 years but this seemed to overlook the havoc wrought by what were then termed "the heaviest rains in a thousand years" during Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang's tenure as city governor.
       In the aftermath of that deluge a couple of decades ago, questions were raised about the wisdom of having turned so many of the city's canals into roads, given that much of Bangkok is below sea level. Mr Narong's point of reference was presumably the great flood of 1983 when a sizable part of Bangkok was submerged and boats were seen making their way along Silom,Ploenchit, parts of Sukhumvit and other roads. That is what happens when floodwaters have nowhere to go.Nowadays they head for the eastern suburbs, much to the horror of those living there.
       This is also the time of year when city officials tend to point an accusing finger at construction projects for creating subsidence, worsening flooding and hampering drainage, but they should not forget that they were the ones who signed off on them, often without ensuring that the necessary infrastructure to service them was in place. They would also do well to review the measures taken to improve and clear out drainage systems and get pumps in working order ahead of this week's heavy rains. And start to plan for what might happen once construction of the infrastructure mega-projects begins.
       More misery appears to be on the way for residents of the eastern suburbs next week, with high tides and heavy rains due to coincide. Those in the "inner city"are protected to some extent by the encircling flood control barriers and dykes. Unfortunately, this means that a disproportionate and unfair portion of the capital's average annual rainfall of 150cm (59 inches) will end up getting pushed out into the already soaked eastern suburbs. This is why it is essential that the promised improvements to the drainage system get the utmost priority. If for some reason they do not, then enthusiasm for paying high municipal taxes might start to wane.
       The obvious problem facing Bangkok is that it is too close to the water - and getting closer all the time.This is caused by the excessive extraction of ground water over many years. Given that Bangkok is a human settlement built on a layer of clay, the dangers of groundwater extraction should have long been obvious.This has to stop. The solution is obvious but enforcement has been repeatedly postponed and Bangkok continues to sink. We are rapidly running out of time to fix this.