Canal-side locals urged to move out
People whose houses are built on the banks of canals or rivers where water levels have decreased dramatically have been warned to move out for their own safety.
A sharp drop in water levels is found to be one of the major causes of road subsidence incidents in Saraburi, Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) said.
Several houses in the northern province of Chai Nat have been affected by sharp drops in water levels in the Chao Phraya River as well, the EIT said.
The EIT has proposed guidelines to tackle the problem of land subsiding on roads running along canals and rivers.
The four-point guideline was made public yesterday as the EIT also analysed possible causes of recent incidents involving roads alongside rivers.
First, the EIT recommended that a joint team should be formed to deal with the problem.
It should be a joint team because these problems concerned various organisations including the Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Rural Roads and other local administration organisations, the engineers said.
Second, it suggested a review of road conditions.
Canal-side roads that are now been being used mainly for public transport should be upgraded to cope with the heavier vehicles, the EIT said.
Third, more efficient surveys on the structure of specific type of roads should be conducted to find out which will need extra attention and reinforcement.
The EIT said the surveys may require a budget and possibly lead to reconstruction of some of the flawed roads, but it will be cheaper than reparing them after damage has occurred.
The common survey technique of boring into the surface of the road alone may not be sufficient in many cases and geophysical techniques may be required, an EIT spokesman said.
Lastly, sufficient funds should be allocated for roads that have been built up to serve as dams to prevent city flooding.