Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha signed off on the “Neo Pattaya” strategy to improve the city’s tourist attractions, flood drainage and sewage processing.
Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome led city hall’s presentation to the Eastern Economic Corridor committee. The green light does nothing in practical terms other than let Pattaya continue to make plans that later must be approved and budgeted.
The tourism section of the Neo Pattaya plan calls for developments on Pattaya and Jomtien beaches, Thappraya Road and in Naklua. All need improvement, the prime minister said, before they can be considered world-class attractions.
The Old Town Naklua project was already proposed, although nothing except a new parking garage for the Lan Po Market is underway.
Pattaya officials began mapping out the layout of the concept in early September. Existing seafood markets would be expanded in a covered building spanning 11,543 sq. meters. A sizeable portion of the development will be a “green” zone with grass, trees and waterfront. The complex itself will be decorated in a theme that exemplifies the history of Naklua and its traditional fishing industry.
As for drainage, officials outlined short-, medium- and long-term solutions. The short-term project is already underway – a new drainage system under the railway-parallel road is due for completion in 2023 – but the medium-term plan hasn’t been funded and the long-term plan is little more than a concept.
The mid-term plan calls for repairing pumps in six stations around the city. The long-term idea would be a “model scheme” to solve flooding and drainage on a system-wide, city-wide level. No details were provided on how that would happen. The earlier it would be considered is October.
Finally, Pattaya proposed that its current sewage-treatment infrastructure be expanded beyond the current two processing plants. The first step would be to fix the Soi Wat Boonkanjanaram plant so it could actually handle the 40,000 cu. meters a day of wastewater it was designed for. Currently, it can handle only half that.
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