2 replies to this topic

[DOLLY]

I'm not sure how to interpret this statement by Pattaya's Mayor. In the neighborhood where I live, you can see polluted street water running into the Gulf every time it rains:

"With Pattaya severely flooded for the second time in a week, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome has proposed digging a new underground storm drain that would again pipe polluted storm runoff water directly into the ocean, rather than continue to treat it first.

The mayor deemed the environmental step backward necessary to prevent the type of flooding that again threw the city into waterlogged gridlock Oct. 16 when more than two hours of torrential rain caused such severe flooding that Second Road and other areas were still impassable three hours after skies cleared.

Itthiphol said currently the city relies on the Sanitation Department to keep storm drains clear of dirt and the multitude of waste products street vendors and others dump into them. With meter-deep rivers blocking major thoroughfares, that clearly isn’t working, he said. So the city Engineering and Health departments will join the effort to combat floods."

http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd2

[tdperhs]

If correctly done, it could be feasible. For example. using an overflow system so that the first couple of meters of flooding, which should contain the bulk of the sludge, litter, and street debris is directed into the main treatment facility. The balance, which should be mostly plain rainwater could be diverted into the sea.

On the other hand, for reasons of economy and ecology, unless the current weather pattern is anticipated to be a recurrent one, why waste the money and risk contamination? Though I am no expert, I have read up a little on Thailand's weather cycles and the current anomaly seems to be unusual.

Overall, we should just weather the storm (NPI).

[Taxi driver]

All of which points out the wisdom of never entering the waters of any of Pattaya's beaches for several says after heavy rainstorms. If you don't believe it, if you are at the gay beach any time it rains hard, take a walk up the beach to the area of Pattaya Park and watch the water, mud, dog shit and street guck being swept into the surf just north of the gay beach.