Flood water gushes out from Pattaya Soi 6
and 6/1, flooding Beach Road and carving out huge trenches in the sandy
beach opposite. The much-vaunted new pumps installed to solve Beach
Road’s incessant flooding problem flunked their first test, as a
Halloween downpour proved too much for equipment operating near Soi 6.
Jetsada Homklin & Urasin Khantaraphan
The much-vaunted new pumps installed to solve Beach Road’s
incessant flooding problem flunked their first test, as a Halloween
downpour proved too much for equipment operating near Soi 6.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and Sanitation Engineering Department
workers went to the beach between sois 6 and 6/1 Oct. 31 to see for
themselves how the four high-power pumps struggled to keep up with the
heavy runoff from the latest storm to thrash the city.
Verawat acknowledged that the quantity of water was too much for the
four pumps. Beach Road, thus, backed up again, with water reaching into
the tire wells of pickup trucks and drowning motorbikes.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome oversaw the installation of the pumps at three
places along Beach Road Oct. 23. Four pumps are located at the foot of
Soi 6 - one of the worst-hit flood areas - two across from Central
Festival Pattaya Beach and one at the entrance of Walking Street.
Soi 6 was given special attention as, for years, water has raced down
that street and adjacent Soi 6/1 and carved out huge trenches in the
sandy beach opposite.
The new pumps can handle 550 cu. meters of water per hour and shuttle it
into huge pipes that feed into the sea. Public officials proclaimed the
pumps would solve flooding problems temporarily while the city works on
long-term solutions.
Verawat said city staffers were working around the clock to drain the
water to the sea to restore the streets to normal.
Meanwhile, the rest of the city and surrounding areas were flooded, too.
The water was as deep as 40-60cm in some areas of Sukhumvit, once again
bringing traffic to a near standstill. Most major roads and many
side-sois were also flooded and in many places impassible.
It took up to 2 hours for the floodwaters to subside after the rain had
stopped.
Soi Bongkot, South Pattaya.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and Sanitation Engineering Department
director Wirat Jeerasreephaibhul inspect the flooding situation, and how
well the pumps were, or weren’t, working across from Pattaya Soi 6.
Pattaya was shrouded in black clouds on Halloween afternoon,
occasionally lit up by spectacular lightning.
(Photo by Thanawat “King” Suansuk)
Photo taken from the Pattaya Mail offices on Thepprasit Road, facing
towards Pattaya Beach.
(Photo by Thanawat “King” Suansuk)
Pattaya Soi 7.
The water was as deep as 40-60cm in some areas of Sukhumvit.
The current was too much for these parked motorbikes.
Pattaya Soi 5.
Walking Street.
Soi Phettrakul, North Pattaya.
