Sattahip authorities have begun reversing the filling of a Kledkaew drainage canal taken over by unknown developers.
Kledkaew Subdistrict Mayor Siripon Pinlom led a delegation of local authorities and engineers to the HuayLuk Canal following complaints that the vital waterway had been narrowed substantially, increasing risk of flooding in the community.
Bang Saray surveyor Worarit Jungbavorn measured 600 meters of the boundary line between the public land and adjacent private property to set legal limits. Action then will be taken against anyone encroaching on the canal zone.
Deputy Mayor Kasem Youngsiri said anonymous preperty developers had excavated and filled in parts of the natural waterway, constricting water flow. Their work also resulted in more sediment building up at top of the canal, exacerbating the problem.
The canal carries storm runoff to the sea, so keeping it wide and open is crucial to the HuayLuk community.