PHUKET: A badly eroded section of Phuket's coast cannot be restored because of a dispute involving ownership of the foreshore, allowing the sea to wreak more damage during Phuket's monsoon season.
The classic Phuket property snafu leaves a giant tree on the shorefront at postcard-pictureque Rawai in danger of toppling - and local mayor Aroon Soroj wondering what the local council can possibly do next.
''We cannot restore the sea wall along that section of the Rawai shorefront without the owner's permission,'' he said today. ''And that owner has not given us permission.
''The original sea wall was built about three years ago,'' Khun Aroon said, ''then about a year later, the owner of this section threatened to sue us for constructing the wall without his permission.''
The ownership of the beachfront strip of land behind the sea wall is mostly well-known, with traditional local picnic restaurants, including the well-known Sala Loi, mostly claiming the chanote land titles.
Restaurant owners were content to have 11 million baht spent on the sea wall, which protects the shorefront and a line of impressive tall trees.
But there was one exception: as Murphy's Law dictates, the owner of the land where the erosion has taken place.
The damage has been made gradually worse in several sea storms so far this year.
Mayor Arun said that the council had been forced to erect a sign at the scene, explaining why the council has been unable to act.
The council has also written to Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Chief of Marine Office 5, Phuket Branch. The Marine Office controls all of Phuket's shoreline below the high water mark.
Expat residents of Phuket have also told Phuketwan that a straight seawall of the kind erected at Rawai will inevitably be battered and constantly in need of repairs, and that consideration should be given to redesigning the wall in a wave-absorbent fashion.
The classic Phuket property snafu leaves a giant tree on the shorefront at postcard-pictureque Rawai in danger of toppling - and local mayor Aroon Soroj wondering what the local council can possibly do next.
''We cannot restore the sea wall along that section of the Rawai shorefront without the owner's permission,'' he said today. ''And that owner has not given us permission.
''The original sea wall was built about three years ago,'' Khun Aroon said, ''then about a year later, the owner of this section threatened to sue us for constructing the wall without his permission.''
The ownership of the beachfront strip of land behind the sea wall is mostly well-known, with traditional local picnic restaurants, including the well-known Sala Loi, mostly claiming the chanote land titles.
Restaurant owners were content to have 11 million baht spent on the sea wall, which protects the shorefront and a line of impressive tall trees.
But there was one exception: as Murphy's Law dictates, the owner of the land where the erosion has taken place.
The damage has been made gradually worse in several sea storms so far this year.
Mayor Arun said that the council had been forced to erect a sign at the scene, explaining why the council has been unable to act.
The council has also written to Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Chief of Marine Office 5, Phuket Branch. The Marine Office controls all of Phuket's shoreline below the high water mark.
Expat residents of Phuket have also told Phuketwan that a straight seawall of the kind erected at Rawai will inevitably be battered and constantly in need of repairs, and that consideration should be given to redesigning the wall in a wave-absorbent fashion.
The local government want to fix a wall so your land will still be there in 20 years. I say let it erode the land away so the owner ends up with nothing.
Posted by Glen on July 19, 2011 15:27