PHUKET: The permanently cracked section in the Phuket road over Patong Hill is likely to widen and it may slide away in a storm, the Director of Kathu District, Veera Kerdsirimongkol, said today.
''That section of road is at high risk of slipping entirely over the edge,'' he said. ''It's risky for drivers on the road and for the residents at the bottom of the hill.''
He said that because residents have built homes so close to the base of the hill beneath the large crack, the Roads Department had yet to conceive a safe way of permanently fixing the Patong Hill road without endangering residents.
The buildings should never have been allowed to go up so close to the base of the hill.
''It's the same old story,'' Khun Veera said. ''People do what they want, then when there is a problem, they complain abou it.''
He added that he believed Patong could expect floods again this low season.
''It's a bad sign for encouraging tourism in the low season,'' he said, ''but there are no easy solutions to Patong's flooding and little that can be done by throwing more money at the issue.''
He said that Patong Hospital, often flooded in past years, was now surrounded by a ''sea wall'' and that could be the only real solution.
The problem is that water gushing down the hillside onto Patong needs canals that are 10 metres wide to be effective, but the canals had effectively been narrowed to one tenth of the size required.
''Pumping the water through faster helps but it's no solution,'' he said.
Flooding struck Patong yesterday and a spokesperson for the Phuket-based Southern Meteorological Centre (West Coast) warned that coming days would increase the risks.
''Phuket can handle falls of about 60mm a day but when we have 100mm a day, flooding is bound to occur.
''The added danger is that Phuket's hillsides become waterlogged over several days and the result is a landslip. We anticipate landslips this low season.''
''That section of road is at high risk of slipping entirely over the edge,'' he said. ''It's risky for drivers on the road and for the residents at the bottom of the hill.''
He said that because residents have built homes so close to the base of the hill beneath the large crack, the Roads Department had yet to conceive a safe way of permanently fixing the Patong Hill road without endangering residents.
The buildings should never have been allowed to go up so close to the base of the hill.
''It's the same old story,'' Khun Veera said. ''People do what they want, then when there is a problem, they complain abou it.''
He added that he believed Patong could expect floods again this low season.
''It's a bad sign for encouraging tourism in the low season,'' he said, ''but there are no easy solutions to Patong's flooding and little that can be done by throwing more money at the issue.''
He said that Patong Hospital, often flooded in past years, was now surrounded by a ''sea wall'' and that could be the only real solution.
The problem is that water gushing down the hillside onto Patong needs canals that are 10 metres wide to be effective, but the canals had effectively been narrowed to one tenth of the size required.
''Pumping the water through faster helps but it's no solution,'' he said.
Flooding struck Patong yesterday and a spokesperson for the Phuket-based Southern Meteorological Centre (West Coast) warned that coming days would increase the risks.
''Phuket can handle falls of about 60mm a day but when we have 100mm a day, flooding is bound to occur.
''The added danger is that Phuket's hillsides become waterlogged over several days and the result is a landslip. We anticipate landslips this low season.''
I can't believe that road is at risk with all the money spent on 'repairs' over the last couple of years one would think it is in great shape. Ummm- hang on................. At this rate we will end up with a cutting, not a tunnel!
Posted by Mister Ree on May 25, 2013 14:00