Despite years of talk and months of effort, flooding actually is getting worse in Pattaya, with two recent days of heavy rain flooding areas of the city not inundated for 10 years, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said.
The deputy mayor called an emergency meeting after a downpour of just two hours left areas of the city under a meter of water Oct. 19.
He said projects such as the dredging of canals in South and North Pattaya canal as well as a new retention basin near the East Pattaya railway didn’t seem to be having much effect.
Pattaya city fathers are trying, but have yet to control the flooding situation in Pattaya.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay brainstormed ideas with city council members and engineers, noting that both property and Pattaya’s reputation were being destroyed by the frequent floods.
He said the city still has many canals and drainage tunnels that need clearing, but city workers and contractors have yet to finish.
He also pointed out the fact that has been obvious to so many for so long: The city’s out-of-control growth has overwhelmed the infrastructure, with new condos and housing projects going up every day. Drainage tunnels cannot take large amount of water as there’s very few that funnel water to the sea.
The objective of the meeting was to gather information from various areas and the organizations that are responsible for the areas to help each other find a way to solve and prevent the problems.
