Pattaya has launched a 26-million-baht project to scrape clean the city’s sewers and dredge drainage canals to better prevent flooding during the rainy season.
Blocked sewers, drainage pipes and canals are the major factors behind the perennial flooding Pattaya endures, with floodwaters running a meter deep even after just a couple hours of rain.
The city has hired Mario Engineering Limited to use both machinery and manpower to scoop out mud, plastic bags, garbage and anything else clogging up sewage tunnels. Migrant laborers are being used to net out floating objects while vacuums suck out mud and other natural debris.
This is a prime example of the phrase, “It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.” Dang holds up a bucket of sludge he and his fellow countrymen have been hired to dig out from the local drains.
On June 17, Sanitation Engineering Department chief Viroj Johsoongnern oversaw a group of 20 migrant workers clearing out drainage pipes on Soi Bongkot near Central Road.
He said the drain-clearing project is moving steadily throughout the city, with hopes of completing the work by July 3.
A 20-year-old Cambodian worker named Dang said the pipe he was working contained water up to his knees. He used buckets to scoop out mud, sand and other grit. It was hard work, he admitted.
Intensive efforts also are planned at the South Pattaya canal and Nok Yang canal in Naklua. Both are vital spillways for storm runoff.
