Patong “ready to fight flood menace’

PHUKET: Action is being taken to prevent a repetition of last year’s heavy flooding in Patong, a meeting of about 50 officers of the Municipality and other authorities heard yesterday. Public klongs had been cleared of silt, and permission is being sought from owners to clear waterways and conduits on private land too. Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, who chaired the meeting, offered to try to speed negotiations with land owners or push for court action if required, because the floods could cause severe damage. Suwat Boonchanawivat, Director of Division of the Patong Public Works Office, said he was confident that this year there would not be a crisis to rival last rainy season’s flood, which left Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd and nearby sois under knee-deep water. Part of the plan includes the use of a vacuum pump that will clear pipes that are too small for people to enter, he said. The machine should be in Patong within two months. Larger drains are also being used on roadways now to speed water clearance.