All Bangkok to become dry; all garbage to be cleared by year-end: BMA Governor

BANGKOK, Dec 12 - Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra on Sunday vowed that all areas of the city will become dry again and that all flood garbage will be collected and cleared by the end of this year.

He spoke while participating in a waste management programme in the capital west of Pasi Charoen district. Organised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and cooperating agencies such as the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the SCG Foundation, the programme links the organizations to rehabilitate communities during the post-flood period.

After the floodwaters recede, the main problem remaining is the huge amount of garbage which has accumulated, he said. City Hall currently has the capacity to collect 8,500-10,000 tonnes of waste per day and at that rate it would normally take months for the waste collection to be completed.

The Pasi Charoen waste management as a pilot scheme begun early this month and is able to separate trash and refuse from recycleables such as wooden furniture.

The programme will be applied in other areas including Bang Kae, Nong Khaem and Taling Chan.

Ninety per cent of the waste will be buried, whereas the other 10 per cent will be processed as fertiliser for garden plants in the capital.

The governor said the overall water situation in Bangkok has improved and added that some areas are still submerged is due to the geographical problem, the lay of the land.

Western Bangkok, or 'Thonburi', is worrisome as water management there is less efficient owing to its low plain where roads were built after local communities' existence, creating large areas of retained water which can only be drained with difficulty, and thus visiting the area is difficult.

However, Mr Sukhumbhand said water drainage is being managed there as much as possible, and he asserted that all areas of Bangkok will be dry before the coming New Year. Private companies will be hired to collect garbage should there be insufficient staff ! to do so from the municipality and other public sector agencies.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Deputy Governor Pornthep Techapaiboon on Sunday visited a garbage separation point in Don Mueang district after local residents had dumped their waste spilling over to about 30 metres of traffic lanes.

He said local government workers were assigned to collect the dumped garbage and refuse trash in over 80 communities in the capital, and the waste collection system was improved to make it more efficient.

Each district is now to send their waste directly to the BMA's garbage burying points in Sai Mai, Nong Khaem, and Nakhon Pathom's Kamphaeng Saen district.

The deputy governor said the amount of garbage is of concern in the west of Bangkok due to its backed-up clogged water such as in Taling Chan and Thawi Watthana districts.

So far, City Hall has collected around 40,000 tonnes of waste after the flood situation has improved. Another 50,000-60,000 tonnes were estimated on hand to be disposed of in the entire city, which would take an estimated seven days to complete, according to Mr Pornthep.

The overall waste situation in Bangkok should return to normal before the New Year, he added. (MCOT online news)