Global warming theorists have made some alarming predictions over the past couple of decades, and skeptics have been equally busy debunking these theories. However, while this debate rages, Bangkok is sinking, literally. For once, one wishes this was merely some alarmist’s theory, but unfortunately it is the disturbing truth. The sea is threatening to swallow the city of 10 million people sometime in the near future.
It is well known that Bangkok is a city built on soft soil, and it lies only 1.5 meters above sea level, dangerously close to the ocean. This combination of factors already makes it susceptible to floods. Besides, the ground level in the city is sinking by 1.5 – 5 cm every year. To make matters worse, coastal erosion takes off 3 – 4 cm every year. As a result, some parts of the city are already below sea level, and places like the suburb at Samut Prakan harbor remain flooded during certain months of the year.
A report published recently by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency has acknowledged that Bangkok is one of the cities most immediately threatened by climate change. However, the trouble is that there is no consensus amongst experts in the region as to what exactly is causing the city to sink, and how to arrest the process.
Bangkok is likely to sink completely by the year 2100, much like a modern day ‘Atlantis’
Smith Dharmasaroja, a celebrated meteorologist who correctly forecast the 2004 tsunami years before it struck, believes that Bangkok is likely to sink completely by the year 2100, much like a modern day ‘Atlantis’, especially if the government refuses to wake up to the challenge. He believes the entire city could be flooded as soon as 2030. The solution he proposes is the building of a series of sea walls along the Siam Gulf to keep the sea out and prevent coastal erosion, a project that would cost in the range of 2 billion euros.
Anond Snidyongs, an oceanographer who specializes in regional climate change, is not as alarmed. He says that it is impossible to predict exactly when the rising sea level will threaten Bangkok, and what form this development will take. Furthermore, he believes that sea walls won’t prevent coastal erosion. The better answer, according to him, is ‘better management of urban building land’.
The suburb at Samut Prakan harbor remain flooded during certain months of the year
Rapid urban development without serious concern for the environment has certainly been a problem in Bangkok. According to Niramon Kulsrisombat, a town planner, architect and teacher, most of the urban development projects have swallowed up lands that used to drain out the flood waters. As a result, the flood situation has only worsened. It also seems that the ground level in Bangkok is buckling under the weight of the ever-expanding skyscrapers.
The government has taken no serious stand on the matter, and is being blamed from all quarters. However, with so much disagreement among the experts, it is hard to predict in which direction they will finally choose to act. Whatever that choice, the future of Bangkok and its millions of people depends on it being the right one.
