The current Bangkok has become a perfect concrete basin. The natural flow of water into the Chao Phraya River can no longer happen, and soon, Bangkok will be a sunken city, permanently under the sea.
The belief that rainwater will flow naturally into canals or the Chao Phraya River is now outdated. In present-day Bangkok, water can no longer flow naturally; the system used to drain water into the canals and rivers is a “pumping system,” as the land in Bangkok is lower than the canals and the Chao Phraya River.
This is alarming because currently, many areas in Bangkok are lower than the streets, which are lower than the canals, and the canals are lower than the Chao Phraya River. For example, Sukhumvit Road is 2 meters below the Chao Phraya River, and some areas are even lower than sea level. Even though Bangkok has tunnels to collect water and plans for more, in the end, water must still be pumped into the canals or rivers. The pumps used in Bangkok are still diesel-powered, which are not efficient in draining water and require a large amount of fuel.
Professor Dr. Suchatvee Suwansawat stated in a program last May, “Bangkok will be 100% underwater. Every institution around the world says that Bangkok is the riskiest city.” If we do not prepare and address this issue now, Bangkok will surely submerge under the sea as predicted by global experts.
However, there are still ways to prevent and prepare for this situation. Professor Dr. Suchatvee Suwansawat recommended solutions in three phases:
- Short-term: Improve the efficiency of the pumping system while the canals can still handle large amounts of water. Water should be pumped into the canals immediately without allowing any water to stagnate in Bangkok. Additionally, the pumping system should be synchronized with the sluice gates.
- Medium-term: Due to increasing rainfall from global warming, more water evaporates into the atmosphere. The solution for this phase is to create underground reservoirs or tunnels to store water, or build underground retention ponds (called “Khaem Ling”) to store water if drainage is not possible. Underground Khaem Ling should be built in urban areas because there are no natural retention ponds in cities—only buildings and condos. Therefore, the urban areas should prioritize constructing underground Khaem Ling.
- Long-term: Prevent problems at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, which should start today. However, Bangkok has not yet planned or taken action in this regard, which is very concerning.
If Bangkok starts preparing and addressing the issue today, the risk of the city sinking into the sea may be reduced.
Reference