Bangkok Post – Sifting through northern Thailand’s mud and flooding

Communities in Chiang Rai And Chiang Mai The provinces have been hit by two waves of flooding in recent weeks, with residents describing them as the worst. floods in decades.

Although floodwaters have receded in most areas, residents and volunteers continue to clear streets and homes of mud.

The heavy flooding and its aftermath has caused many people to reflect on the factors that contributed to the disaster.

The Bangkok Post spoke to water management and engineering experts who suggested authorities reconsider urban planning and seek collaboration with Myanmar to address future cross-border flood risks.

Land use change

Thanapon Piman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute, said the floods that ravaged the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province were unusual not only in their frequency but also in the massive amount of mud they brought with them.

This could be attributed to seasonal rains that started in August, combined with the influence of Typhoon Yagi, which brought heavy rains to Myanmar. Excess water, along with mud, flowed into the Mae Sai River, suggesting a change in land use in upstream areas.

Mr Thanapon explained that the mud had two sources: natural landslides and agriculture or mining in forest areas. During this time, the exposed topsoil turned to mud in the river.

“However, although there are no statistics on this, I assume that the large amount of mud does not only come from neighboring areas,” he said. “More than 80% probably comes from the Mae Sai River watershed.”

The flooding was not caused by the release of excess water from upstream dams in Laos and China, as some thought, he said. Coping with future flood risks poses a significant challenge, especially when the Thai side is located downstream.

In the short term, in addition to the rehabilitation of flood-ravaged communities, the opening of water level monitoring stations in the upper reaches of the Mae Sai River is a necessity to serve as an early warning system, he said. -he declared.

Then it’s a matter of developing a more effective disaster response plan or improving urban planning, Thanapon said.

However, this would be a daunting task as the area is a special economic zone and people are unlikely to move. An evacuation plan must be in place to ensure that people in risk areas are evacuated safely in the event of flooding.

In the long term, central government must intervene because local authorities do not have adequate resources to manage the situation, whether it is restoring flood barriers or improving the drainage capacity of the water via the irrigation system.

Mr Thanapon highlighted the need to foster collaboration with Myanmar, saying cooperation must be multi-dimensional, involving communities, businesses and academia.

This is a cross-border issue that affects both countries, and the region is not only under the control of the Myanmar government but also under the control of ethnic minorities and armed groups, he added.

“Managing water is easier than tackling the mud problem because the latter involves land use and requires much more time,” he said. “We need to persuade our neighbor to be aware of the problem of soil erosion.

“Both sides also have a lot of work to do because there is no data on the amount of mud, which is essential for planning and decision-making,” he explained.

Flooding must be mitigated

Suchatvee Suwansawat, former president of the Institute of Engineering of Thailand, said the floods were caused by global warming and human activities, such as deforestation and encroachment on river banks.

This issue requires strong will from the government, especially Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who must bring together state agencies to develop an urban plan and ensure that it is strictly implemented to ensure sustainability, he said. he declared.

Mr Suchatvee said communities in water retention areas should be informed of the situation and offered incentives to relocate.

“It happens every year, and the severity of the situation depends on the amount of water. If the government and the public do not cooperate, the situation will get worse every year,” he said.

Mr Thanapon said several buildings on the Thai side, near the First Friendship Bridge, were obstructing the flow of water and their dismantling could allow faster drainage and allow the construction of flood barriers.

Regarding Sailom Joy Market in Mae Sai, a border market badly affected by flooding, he said that if businesses are to remain in their current locations, buildings must be at least two stories high to allow occupants to move up and down the floors. superior in the event of flooding.

He admitted that residents might struggle to finance the renovations and that the proposal could require collaboration from several sectors. He stressed that businesses may have to relocate if the situation is critical.

As for flooding in Chiang Mai city, Thanapon said urban communities have limited knowledge on how to deal with it because they do not face the problem regularly.

He said the “Chiang Mai model” is not sufficient to deal with extremely high flood water levels.

This would require a multi-million baht project, such as a large drainage tunnel under the city, to deal with flooding. However, stakeholders will need to determine whether such an investment is worth it.

Regarding the revision of the city plan, he said its success depends on the cooperation of the public and planning law enforcement officials.

He said Chiang Mai residents should understand that flooding can happen at any time and given the amount of water, flooding is inevitable because there is no way to divert it elsewhere.

Key locations, such as hospitals, should explore methods to mitigate flood damage and consider measures taken by the Shangri-La Hotel, which used a flood barrier to protect the premises .

“The public needs to understand that flooding is inevitable, but its impact can be mitigated in key locations. Fortunately, this time the Bhumibol Dam was still able to receive water, which facilitated drainage,” he said. he declared.

Reclaiming floodplains

Pianporn Deetes, campaign director for the Southeast Asia program of the International Rivers Network, said the flooding in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai indicates that water retention areas have been occupied by people in a context uncontrolled expansion of cities.

Aerial photographs showed rivers overflowing in the same areas that had flooded in the past, as if the rivers were reclaiming their former territory.

In the case of the Mae Sai River, she said the section near the First Friendship Bridge was once much wider, but structures on the Thai and Myanmar sides have encroached on the river banks.

Upstream, there are areas of exposed soil due to mining activities that can also contribute to mudslides, she explained.

“To reduce the severity of future floods, it is time we get a good understanding of extreme climate change. The earth is boiling and we need nature-based solutions, like preserving wetlands, rather than trying to control the river,” she said. .

She agreed that international cooperation is needed to deal with cross-border flooding, but said solving this problem was a challenge for the government because the border areas involve several ethnic groups and the participation of all parties is necessary.

Ms Pianporn also criticized authorities for being unprepared in terms of warnings and responses.

She said those who suffer the most are the poor and marginalized, and the government must find ways to help people rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

“I visited the Nam Kok community in Chiang Rai and saw the wreckage of small grocery stores. An electrician lost his house and tools while a community that grew vegetables was completely wiped out.” , she said.

Video: Floods, smog and climate change: the land use link