canals

  • Thailand News

    Bangkok to speed up removal of illegal canal structures

    Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) pledged to accelerate the removal of illegal structures built over the city’s extensive network of canals. Bangkok hosts over 1,980 canals and other waterways, with 233 under the Department of Drainage’s jurisdiction, while local district offices under the BMA manage the remainder. A 2021 survey by the Department of Drainage and Sewerage identified approximately 11,035 illegal…

  • Thailand News

    PM Srettha monitors Bangkok canal development projects

    Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has taken a hands-on approach to ensure the success of a monumental development project in celebration of His Majesty the King’s 72nd Birthday or 6th Cycle Anniversary on July 28. The ambitious Klong Ong Ang and Klong Bang Lamphu project, one of 10 initiatives aimed at rejuvenating Bangkok, has been hailed for transforming the cityscape, making…

  • Thailand News

    Pollution turns Nonthaburi canal water pink

    Reports revealed strange pink canal water in Nonthaburi on Valentine’s Day last week as scientists scrambled to uncover the truth behind the sudden rosy hue. Experts from the Department of Science Service (DSS) embarked on an investigation uncovering startling findings that could change the way we see pollution. The case, discovered in Khlong Bang Phraek near the Big C department store…

  • Thailand News

    Bangkok waterways: 9.32 billion baht expansion plan unveiled

    In a proactive move to alleviate traffic congestion in Bangkok, Thailand’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) is set to submit plans for the development of existing and potential canal routes. Underpinning these Bangkok waterways plans is the promotion of passenger boat transportation as a practical solution to the city’s notorious traffic issues. On the specifics of…

  • Thailand News

    PM Prayut wants to fix Bangkok’s smelly canals

    It’s no secret that Bangkok stinks. When you take a breath of “fresh air” on the street, it’s not rare for a concoction of barbecued chicken, pollution and sewage to enter your nose. Even after living in Bangkok for a number of years, the smell never gets any less pungent, especially in the summer months. The issue is untreated wastewater…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok to see short and long-term improvements for canals

    The canals (klongs) of Bangkok are getting a facelift with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration confirming plans to renovate the waterways of the capital city. According to Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang, the BMA is working now on a 4.48-kilometre section of the Klong Phadung Krung Kasem canal, which runs a total length of 5.5 kilometres, turning Rattanakosin Island, into an actual…

  • Transport News

    Green transport in Bangkok’s khlongs, and it’s free | VIDEO

    You can still go on a completely free ride along the Khlong Phadung Krungkasem, that’s a canal that runs through some of Bangkok’s most historic areas. The Thai PM launched the new ‘green’ canal boat services at the end of November 2020. The service is operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation. As a bit of background the canal ferry boats…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | BKK protest update, Chiang Mai ‘quiet’, Baby klong crocs | October 14

    Daily TV news about what’s happening in and around Thailand. Check out the daily Thai News, uploaded around 5pm, Thai time, weekdays. “Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says Things are heating up ahead of this afternoon and this evening’s protests and planned march to Government House from the Democracy Monument. Even the United Nations Department…

  • Environment News

    Bangkok governor warns of canal pollution

    Bangkok’s governor warns that the volume of garbage in Bangkok’s canals is increasing and is beginning to block the sewer system, causing potentially health-threatening floods in many areas. Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said the removal of garbage from canals in Lat Phrao district and under Pradit Manutham Road alone required 5 trucks. The area is just a kilometre away from a…

  • Tourism News

    Tourism authorities refurbish old klongs as new tourist attractions in Bangkok

    Bangkok’s old nickname “Venice of the East” is slowly coming back to life as tourism and local municipal authorities aim to make-over some of the city’s famous klongs (canals) as new tourist attractions. Khlong Prawet Burirom runs east from the city towards Suvarnabhumi Airport. In May this year one of the old klongs, the King Lord Klong,was extensively refurbished and…

  • Environment News

    Bangkok – that sinking feeling

    The mighty Chao Phraya runs through the central plains and down into the flooding delta before heading out into the Gulf of Thailand. Great place for a city. Not surprisingly Bangkok suffers floods whenever the big rains come with most of the low-lying land around the delta only averaging around 1.5 metres above sea level. Whilst the city used to…

  • Environment News

    Thailand: Paradise Lost? Part 1.

    by guest blogger Kent Bowie Thailand has seen rampant tourist development and expansion over the past 25+ years, but at what cost? Is this sustainable or even ethical? Social media has seen an explosive growth too over the last 15+ years, and one thing that annoys many governments worldwide is how the facts and figures delivered by their own agencies…