Discovery of silicone seals and plywood leads to suspicions about construction graft
ANG THONG: Officials in Pa Mok district have called for the inspection of a recently constructed flood wall found to have seams stuffed with plywood covered in a thin layer of silicone.
Members of Moo 4 community in tambon Phong Pheng alerted officials on Saturday to suspected graft in the construction of the wall erected to safeguard the area from high waters.
First they noticed seams containing thin strips of silicone. On closer inspection, they found the seals could be removed easily, leaving nothing but pieces of plywood unlikely to be effective at keeping out water.
The discovery has prompted suspicion that the wall was not built according to specifications, and that someone might have pocketed some of the public money budgeted for construction.
Mana Puklin, deputy chief of the Phong Pheng administrative organisation, said repairs had been done recently on a damaged section of the wall. He agreed that the plywood and silicone sealant required inspection and rectification.
Water levels in the area have increased lately and the community is at risk of being flooded if the wall proves ineffective. Concrete slabs laid down as a pathway leading to the wall have also been deteriorating.
The walls were erected as part of the fourth phase of the Phong Pheng community flood prevention project. A private company was contracted to build the 2.25-kilometre flood wall with a budget of 279 million baht between May 15, 2019 and Oct 30, 2021.