![BMA to step up clearing of canals](https://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20240716/c1_2829902_240716051211.jpg)
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ) has promised to accelerate its efforts to demolish the city’s canal-level illegal structures.
Over 1, 980 rivers and other waters are located in Bangkok, with 233 of them falling under the Department of Drainage, while the remainder are managed by the BMA’s local city offices.
According to a 2021 study by the Department of Drainage and Sewerage, some 11, 035 buildings have been constructed over the city’s rivers and lakes.
The majority of these structures are located in the city’s northern districts (7, 667 ), followed by central ( 1, 635 ), southern ( 1, 078 ) and eastern ( 471 ). In northwest Thonburi, the study found 61 illegal structures over waterways, and 123 in west Thonburi.
To time, 2, 752 have been removed, according to the office.
About 7, 800 homes are in discussions with the BMA and another companies, 422 have been cited for violating Announcement No. The Revolutionary Council issued 44 recommendations for eroding lakes, and 53 were indicted for breaking the Building Control Act.
Narong Ruangsri, the BMA’s deputy lasting secretary, stated that the BMA is working with the National Housing Authority to offer low-income households cheap housing options in an effort to prevent the encroachment of common waterways.