Banglamung’s district chief,
Chawalit Saeng-Uthai (left) surveys the clogged canal with Chonburi and
Pattaya officials (not shown), and the media.
Chaiyot Poopapanapong
Banglamung’s district chief said yet another week was
needed before legal action would commence to clear South Pattaya’s main
storm-drainage canal.
Chawalit Saeng-Uthai, who surveyed the clogged canal with
Chonburi and Pattaya officials Sept. 12 following that weekend’s monsoon and
flood, said on Sept. 20 that while clearing illegal construction and
widening the canal remained an urgent priority, he still needed more time to
investigate the situation.
After another week, a report on the canal should be ready
and then Banglamung will issue an order to clear and dismantle illegal
structures. Owners will then be given 30 days to comply. If building owners
appeal, they’ll get another 15 days to state their case, after which a court
will decide the matter.
That schedule ensures nothing will be done before rainy
season ends.
It’s not the first time nothing has been done, of course.
Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome two years ago made a great show about the
city’s plan to remove all the structures, but work stopped shortly after
press cameras left the scene.
Part of the government’s reluctance to take legal action
may come from the fact one of the city’s most-popular 5-star hotels is
responsible for the most-significant obstruction on the South Pattaya canal.
The hotel, which is located near where water is supposed
to flow into Pattaya Bay, has covered over 200 meters of the canal and built
a bridge on top of it, allegedly without permission. Chawalit said the
district has been in negotiations with the owners of the hotel group, which
operates several resorts in the area, and has received a promise the planks
covering the drain will be removed and the bridge raised so it doesn’t
interfere with water flow.
The district chief noted that the hotel is not the only
offender, however. The canal, when built, was 4 meters wide and several
meters deep. However, illegal construction and trash have both narrowed and
filled in the drainage canal, cutting its capacity and ability to handle
storm runoff.
Acknowledging many residents are angry over broken past promises to clear
the canal and current delays, Chawalit urged patience, noting Banglamung
District must follow a different set of legal standards than Pattaya, a
special government zone where laws can be applied more quickly.
