Citizens in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai regions have experienced two waves of flooding in the last few days, with locals calling them the worst storms in decades.
Inhabitants and volunteers are also removing the sludge that has been encumbered the streets and people’s homes despite the fact that the floodwaters have since cooled in most places.
Many people are pondering the causes of the crisis as a result of the severe flood and its aftermath.
The Bangkok Post spoke with water management and executive experts who suggested that the authorities reevaluate urban planning and get cooperation with Myanmar to target upcoming cross-boundary storm risks.
Change of property usage
Thanapon: Dirt volumes curiously high
The storm that ravaged the Mae Sai region of Chiang Rai state was strange, according to Thanapon Piman, a senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute, due to the large amount of dirt it brought with it.
This could be attributed to the combination of the impact of Typhoon Yagi, which caused heavy rain to fall in Myanmar, and the annual precipitation that started in August. The Mae Sai River was flooded by the extra water, together with dirt, indicating there had been a change in property use in headwater locations.
According to Mr. Thanapon, the mud comes from two sources: crops or miners in forest areas and healthy landslides. However, exposed soil became clay in the creek.
” However, while there are no statistics on this, my assumption is the large amount of mud did n’t come solely from nearby areas”, he said. ” Over 80 % of it good originates from the Mae Sai River watershed”.
Some people believed that the release of extra water from Laos and China’s upstream reservoirs was the cause of the disaster, he said. Coping with potential overflow risks is a huge problem, especially when the Thai side is located inland.
In the short term, aside from rehabilitating flood-ravaged societies, open water-level tracking facilities in the highlands of the Mae Sai River is a must-do to function as an early warning system, he said.
Next, Mr. Thanapon recommended creating a more effective crisis response program or improving city planning.
Because the area is a special financial zone and citizens are unlikely to travel, that would be a challenging task. A disaster departure program should be in place to ensure that those in flood-prone areas are carefully evacuated.
Local authorities do not have enough resources to manage the situation, so the central government has intervene in the long run to restore disaster protection barriers or increase water drains capacity through the irrigation system.
Mr Thanapon stressed the need to foster cooperation with Myanmar, saying assistance must be multi-dimensional, interesting communities, businesses and academic type.
The area is not only under the control of the Myanmar government but also under the control of ethnic minorities and armed groups, he added. This is a cross-border issue that affects both countries.
He claimed that managing water is simpler than tackling the mud problem because it involves land use and takes much longer. Our neighbor needs to be informed of the soil erosion issue.
Because there is n’t information on the amount of mud, which is crucial for planning and decision-making, “both sides also have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Flood mitigation needed
Suchatvee: Incentivise relocation to safe areas
Suchatvee Suwansawat, a former president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, said the flooding was caused by global warming and human activities, such as deforestation and encroachment on riverbanks.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who must work with state agencies to create an urban plan and make sure it is strictly enforced to ensure sustainability, said the issue calls for a strong will from the government.
According to Mr. Suchatvee, residents of water retention areas should be informed of the situation and given incentives to relocate.
” It happens every year, and how bad depends on the amount of water. If the government and the public do not cooperate, it will get worse each year, “he said.
According to Mr. Thanapon, several buildings on the Thai side near the First Friendship Bridge obstruct the flow of water. Their demolition could speed up drainage and allow for the construction of flood barriers.
He argued that if businesses are to remain in their current locations, the buildings must be at least two storeys high in order for occupants to move to the upper floors during a flood, like Mae Sai’s Sailom Joy Market, a border market that has been severely affected by floods.
He acknowledged that the proposal may call for the collaboration of several sectors, and that residents may struggle to finance renovations. He made the point that if a situation is critical, businesses may need to relocate.
In terms of flooding in the city of Chiang Mai, Mr. Thanapon claimed urban communities have little knowledge about how to deal with it because they do not regularly deal with the issue.
He claimed that the” Chiang Mai model” cannot handle extremely high floodwater levels.
That would require a multi-million-baht project, such as a large drainage tunnel beneath the city, to cope with flooding. However, stakeholders will need to assess the viability of such a project.
He claimed that the success of the city plan’s revision depends on the public’s support and those in charge of enforcing city planning laws.
He advised people in Chiang Mai to realize that flooding can occur at any time and that given the amount of water, flooding is unavoidable because there is no other way to divert it.
Key venues, such as hospitals, should explore methods to mitigate damage from flooding and consider the measures taken by the Shangri-La Hotel, which used a flood barrier to protect the premises.
” The public must understand that flooding is unavoidable, but its impact can be mitigated for key locations. Fortunately, this time the Bhumibol dam could still take water, which helped with drainage, “he said.
Reclaiming flood plains
Pianporn: Solutions must be’ nature-based’
The flooding in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, according to Pianporn Deetes, campaign director for the Southeast Asia Programme at the International Rivers Network, indicates that water retention areas have been occupied by people as a result of the uncontrolled expansion of cities.
Aerial images showed that the rivers had overflowed into the same areas that had previously been flooded, as if the rivers were reclaiming their former territory.
She claimed that the section near the 1st Friendship Bridge used to be much wider, but that structures on both the Thai and Myanmar sides have squandered space on the riverbanks.
According to her, there are areas of exposed soil upstream as a result of mining activities that could also be responsible for the mudslides.
” To reduce the severity of future flooding, it’s time we have a good understanding of extreme changes in climate. The earth is’ boiling’ and we need nature-based solutions like preserving wetlands, rather than trying to control the river,” she said.
She acknowledged that transboundary flooding requires international cooperation, but that the government must take action because the border regions have a wide range of ethnic groups and require active participation from all sides.
Ms. Pianporn also criticized authorities for their inability to prepare for warnings and responses.
She claimed that the poor and the marginalized are the people who suffer the most, and that the government must find ways to assist people in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.
When I visited the Nam Kok community in Chiang Rai, I noticed the remains of small food stores. A community that raised vegetables was completely destroyed as a result of an electrician’s loss of both his home and his tools, she claimed.
Video: Flooding, smog and climate change: the land use connection