Plastic bags and old water pumps cause flood in Bangkok
Highway officers revealed plastic bags stuck in water pumps caused a flood inside the Pakkret Intersection Tunnel in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok.
Officers from the Nonthaburi Highway District investigated the Pakkret Intersection Tunnel yesterday to determine the cause of the flood on August 21. After five hours, officers reported that many plastic bags and garbage were stuck in the propellers of three water pumps blocking the flow of the waterway.
Officers removed and cleaned the propellers and put them back and the system is now operational once again.
The Deputy Director of the Nonthaburi Highway District, Sophon Paensang, advised the water pumps needed to be changed to work more efficiently.
Sophon said the water pumps have been in use since 2007, they’re old and the automatic system controlling the water pumps has stopped working.
Highway staff has to stay overnight to turn the water pumps on and off when rain is expected. He expects all of the water pumps to be changed next year.
Sophon says the department has a short-term solution in place to deal with future flooding before the water pumps are changed. Officials will visit the tunnel more often, clear garbage, check water pumps, and monitor water levels inside the tunnel via security cameras.
