2.5 Thailand

2.5 Thailand

1. Facts

   • Chao Praya River
   • July - December 2011
   • 815 died
   • 13.6 million people affected
   • cost $45.7 billion (4th costliest natural hazard in the world)
   • not expected - bangkok hadn't flooded since 1995

2. causes

   • Physical
     • Flash floods are common due to monsoon climate. But rainfall for march 2011 was 344% above the mean. The monsoon rains began in May and heavy rain continued throughout July and August.
     • Tropical storm nock-ten made landfall in late july bringing more rain.
     • By October the floodwaters had spread south and the capital city Bankok was flooded.
     • The Chao Phraya River watershed drains an area of 157,924 square kilometres. This entire area drains towards Bankok
   • Human
     • By October, most dams were at full capacity and forced to release water, increasing flood risk downstream. In many cities, flood defences failed resulting in rapid flooding.
     • Rapid urbanisation in Thailand will have increased the flood risk - expanding cities replace what used to be farmland.
     • Deforestation has reduced vegetation interception.

3. impacts

   • Physical Environment
     • Floods started in the north of Thailand and spread down the Chao Phraya River.
     • Flood waters 2 metres high.
     • Rubbish and sewage contaminated flood waters.
   • Demographic
     • 815 people died
     • 13.6 million people were affected
     • Many people displaced and evacuated from Bankok as the threat of flooding approached
     • Thousands of crocodiles roaming flood waters after escaping from farms
     • Since toilets won't operate under water, individuals that remained in flooded areas, both exposed themselves to risk, and increased the risks for those living downstream by continuing to generate more sewage and trash.
   • Social
     • People live in makeshift raised shelters
     • Poor communities live among dirty water
     • Roads and airports flooded so people were stranded - they couldn't get out and aid couldn't get in
     • Dirty water contaminated with sewage - risk of disease
     • People short of food, water, medication; growing health risks such as dysentery, skin infections and vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever when the waters stagnate and form breeding grounds for mosquitos.
     • Temporary shelters were provided in stadiums, schools and universities.
     • Many people refused to leave their homes in case of looting
   • Economic
     • Employment has been affected when factories flooded and workers were laid off or fired.
       • Not all factories are expected to reopen causing significant long term job loss in central Thailand
     • 7 major industrial estates flooded, 930 factories flooded
     • Huge areas of farmland inundated.
     • Up to 300,000 international tourists will cancel their holidays - loss of $825 million
     • Disruption to global supply chains - global shortage of hard drive disks
     • Thailand accounts for about 30% go global trade in rice and 25% of the main crop is not expected to survive being flooded
       • Farmers suffered a double blow - losing current rice crop and damage to rice fields meaning next crop will not be planted either.

4. management

   • Immediate Response
     • Residents told to move their belongings 1 metre above the ground
     • Residents told to evacuate homes
     • Emergency workers and Thai military distributed sandbags
     • Multi-National companies (MNCs) taking action to protect their factories/industrial estates
       • Questions over whether Thailand remains an attractive business investment
     • NGOs set up refugee camps in rural areas for displaced people
   • Flood Management Plan
     • Dam construction and flood retention basins in upper catchment
       • To control the amount of water being let into the river
     • New data system for water management
       • So that people are more aware of when floods are going to occur so they can be more prepared
     • City and land use planning in Bankok
       • They have better control over the flooding so they ca make sure their important areas are not at risk
     • Restoration and forest conservation in the upper catchment of the Chao Praya River
       • The trees intercept the water which lengthens the lag time as it takes longer for all the precipitation to reach the river
     • Building floodways/channels in 800,000 acres of farmland and irrigation systems
       • To divert the water to where it can be used to feed crops and animals
     • Clearing up canals and waterways in Bankok
       • This makes their waste systems more able to deal with flooding as debris will not prevent the water from filtering