Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay (center)
announces that more than 3 1/3 rai of land illegally blocking the South
Pattaya storm-drainage canal has been cleared.
Warunya Thongrod
Two weeks after carrying through on threats to tear down structures
illegally blocking the South Pattaya storm-drainage canal, city workers
have removed half the obstacles and expect to clear the entire property
by the end of May.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay told reporters May 8 that more than 3 1/3
rai of land had been cleared, making good on long-running threats to
clear bridges, houses, islands and other obstacles to storm water
flowing through the canal to the sea. Banglamung District Chief Sakchai
Taengho had met with Pattaya officials April 8 to plan the removal of
the illegal structures and, at that time, Verawat reported that a recent
inspection found up to 14 households trespassing on the canal, covering
about 4.5 rai of land.
On April 22, area officials moved in, using a backhoe, trucks and
digging equipment near Soi Marine.
Sakchai earlier said the canal once was 8 meters wide but today, thanks
to home and business owners building on the adjacent land, the canal had
narrowed to an average of just 3 meters wide. He said last week that,
once the land is cleared, the city plans to widen the canal to 20 meters
and dredge it of natural and man-made obstacles.
As for those blocking the canal, offenders ran the gamut from private
individuals to large, influential hotel and mall owners, such as the
Siam Bayshore Hotel and Bali Hai Plaza.
The district chief noted that offenders were warned to removed the
obstructions or face demolition. Many complied while larger groups, such
as Siam Bayshore, began negotiating for time.
Sakchai pledged there would be “no exceptions” no matter the size of the
business involved and, Verawat confirmed at last week’s press
conference, even the big hotel is being forced to modify an island it
built in the middle of the canal and remove a low-rise footbridge.
“We will make the island smaller, like a ship’s bow, so water can flow
past it quickly,” the deputy mayor said. “The hotel administrators must
let Pattaya City Hall design the bridge for absolute accurateness to
prevent further removal, so there will be a delay in removing the old
bridge, but likely will be complete within 10 days.”
Also obstructing the bridge is a bungee jump and Italian restaurant,
half of which is over the canal. The city is working with the operators
to move it. And private homeowner Rattawut Srimongkol, who built his
entire house over the canal, has removed the entire building.
“Our work has progressed considerably with some cooperating very well
while others stubbornly refused to be removed,” Verawat said.
“Therefore, we had to bring in the law.”
