City Hall builds rafts to trap canal rubbish
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is incorporating local wisdom in its effort to deal with rubbish in the capital’s canals, by building bamboo rafts to snare trash initially along Khlong Prem Prachakorn. BMA workers have started making
phair luk buab — or bamboo rafts — at four spots along the canal, which was dug 132 years ago during the reign of King Rama V.
Such rafts have been used for centuries to trap water hyacinth and rubbish in many canal and riverside communities. In some areas, the rafts also serve as bridges and walkways, but their use in urban waterways is limited.
The BMA plans to build four such rafts along Khlong Prem Prachakorn, totalling some 12 kilometres in length. This will be City Hall’s first attempt to deploy the rafts on a large scale.
According to City Clerk Silpasuay Raweesaengsoon, the rafts are part of the city’s wider plan to improve waste management in the canals.
“We are maximising our waste management capacity. In addition to the rafts, we will also increase the number of collection rounds and set up trash collection points to expedite garbage removal from the canals,” he said during a site inspection on Friday.
“We will also introduce more equipment to improve water circulation along the canal, as well as regular water quality testing.”
City Hall workers have built a raft at four spots along the canal, each 3km in length.
The first raft runs from the pier at the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) at Thung Song Hong to the pier at Wat Samian Nari.
The second raft connects the ONCB pier to a pier behind Chaeng Watthana Road, while the third runs from the Chaeng Watthana pier to the Don Muang District Office pier.
The last raft links Don Muang District Office with Don Muang police station.
Rubbish accumulating along
Bangkok’s 948 canals is a headache for the BMA.
In addition to giving off a foul smell, it blocks the city’s sewers and drains, increasing the risk of floods during the rainy season.
Last year, it collected 46,507 tonnes of trash from the city’s 1,319-km long canals.
In another development, the BMA revealed yesterday that it spent 100 million baht to improve the landscape and hygiene around its garbage disposal facilities in On Nut, Nong Khaem and Sai Mai.
The project was carried out after workers and residents complained of the foul smell around the facilities.