Eyesore wires and cables are being cleaned up in Bangkok
Looking up in Bangkok might be a bit clearer now, and you’ve got Hollywood to thank for it. After Russell Crowe went viral during his trip to film a movie in Thailand for his tweets, particularly one displaying the mess of wires strung across Bangkok streets, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission worked with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority to clean up the jumble of cables.
After the viral tweet got Thai people calling on something to be done, The MEA defended themselves, saying that the wires in his photo were not theirs and were, in fact, communication cables. Electric cabling and communication wires are easily mixed up. Still, the publicity prompted PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to push to move all communication cables underground.
The NBTC’s district 11 office partnered with the MEA’s Bang Kapi office and local telecom firms to undertake the task of detangling the cables at Soi Petchaburi 31 in Bang Kapi, with unused wires being removed. They expected the full rewiring cleanup project to be done by December 15.
The district 11 director said the cleanup will not only remove an eyesore but also improve safety for area residents and drivers passing through. The wires can block visibility be also the buildup of old and decommissioned wires weigh down the electric poles which have been known to collapse. Poorly maintained cable can also snap and endanger anyone on the street below, especially a live wire that can spark and cause fires.
Plus it will improve the global image of Thailand in the eyes of tourists that may be put of by photos and videos of thick patches of sparking wires blocking what could potentially be picturesque views. Locals on the soi that has been cleaned up say they are relieved that the blocked views are cleared and the risk of electrical catastrophe is reduced.
Of the cables cleared and reorganised on Soi Phetchaburi 31, only 10% were electrical. The remaining 90% of the wires were telecom cables that belong to the telephone companies, internet service providers, and cable TV companies that installed them.
SOURCE: National News Bureau of Thailand
