Editor;
Two months ago your paper published the water problems at Fah Mi Add Kan Village, just off Siam Country Road and Phonpranimit Soi 13, Nongprue, which has had shortages of water going on for months. Through your investigation the answer from the water resources department chief said the problem would be taken care of in a few months.
Since your article, I held off in writing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the problem seems to be getting worse without any explanation. Since the last article, the village continues to have the water turned off although there have only been a few pipes break at the village. In fact, since the last article, the water turn off is even worse, as it is being turned off every day and then at times turned back on for just 10 minutes, and when turned on longer the volume is minimum; barely noticeable!
Based on the reasoning provided by the department, the area is being served by an undersized replacement pipe they acknowledge they put in and due to the age of the village and the system, turning on/off the water after the pipes are replaced or for whatever reason causes the old pipes to break. So without breakage in the area, why is the water being turned on/off when not necessary?
When I call the office as noted by your article to inquire as to the reasons I get an inconsistent answer from what was reported by the department chief and their staff: “Too many tourists and not enough water.” Really? One wonders what is the real answer. Is it for retaliation?
I see no reason unless there is a broken pipe or actual shortage to have the water turned on/off every day. As I noted in my first article this process has been going on since I moved to this area in 2006. In the past month I have spent at least 1,000 baht to bring in water to supply my home. I have heard rumors from the neighbors that the water is being turned off because of the spot light pointed at the department by the articles published in your paper. People are suffering because of this situation and if the problem is to continue for months then I believe the people of this area shouldn’t have to pay their water bill. There should be some form of compensation for their suffering and for the money spent to buy their own water the last several months!
Here (is a photo) taken from the last storm just a month ago off Soi 2, flooded at Fah Mi Add Kan and surrounding areas. If the backup isn’t from a pipe breakage it is because the ditch or drains across from Soi 2 are clogged with garbage and dirt which prevents the water from draining. So the water overflows to the road, which was just paved 2 months ago, and is now full of holes due to the water being unable to drain. This undermines the road’s material which causes the new potholes. It takes days for the water to drain and if it rains day after day the water level rises and flows back into the surrounding sois.
Just off Fah Mi Add Kan, outside the Permsub Project, the water from Permsub drains across the road main drain and ditches but one can see it is full of sand and soil and growing plants in the ditches. This prevents normal draining and when it rains heavy the area surrounding Permsub is flooded. It has undermined an electric pole that is ready to fall over. The lines are hanging low ready to be accidentally pulled down by a bus or truck traveling down the road.
Several weeks ago a side cart was flipped over due to the hanging wires being so low. The neighbors outside of Permsub have also dug trenches in the empty land to absorb the rain water run off so that it doesn’t flood their homes. But this hasn’t worked so the Permsub project recently came back out and filled the holes.
All the ditches or drains need to be cleared on Soi Phonpranimit 13. Now that the rains have stopped, it’s time to fix the problem, otherwise the picture you see will be reality again when rains come again. Pornpranimit was paved just this year and now the road is full of holes and bumps due to the flooding. The portion of the road leading to Nongprue just off Soi 2, Fah Mi Add Kan was paved incorrectly and slanted to a property owner retaining wall where there are no drains, so when it rains it is a reservoir on one side.
Who is responsible for this mess and when are these departments going to take responsibility and stop making excuses for their failure to take care of the problem? All this standing water in the area, and most likely throughout Pattaya, is why dengue fever cases reported from hospital indicate that the problem is rampant! The solution is easy – just like I’m sure these city officials who run these departments don’t have a problem in their own neighborhoods. Just fix it and fix it right the first time instead of wasting Thai people’s time and money! You people were appointed to help the Thais not hurt them! It’s time to get your department in order and do right by the Thai people! Stop worrying about your ego and just fix the problem. It seems foreigners care more about Thais than those in charge here.
Jeff Chumuchi
