Flooding have always been an ordeal that have plagued the world for milleniums, from the constantly overflowing Huang He to the flash-floods in Bangladesh, flooding became one of the inevitable elements of life in many parts of the world. Asia, is one of them. Here in South East Asia, flooding is considered normal as farmers relied on massive rainfall to plant rice, which ironically requires ankle deep water to flourish. However, sometimes nature just simply delivered too much of what we needed, in certain years precipitation had rose beyond the capacities of dams and levees, causing water to flood fields and urban areas, which indeed is not a pleasant experience. Thailand is currently experiencing a flood beyond anyone's expectations, which is paradoxically preceded by last year's droughts. Cities such as Ayuthaya sank beneath the waves along with multimillion dollar investments. Currently, the water had reached Thailand's capitol, Bangkok, as Thailand would be doomed to years of regression and poverty once again.
How does this happen?
This massive flooding started from unexpected high precipitation and poor water management. Normally, dams and levees would often prevent, or at least suppresses the flooding, however, in the event of this flood, the government had left the Bhumibol Dam with water filled to the brim, preparing for the drought, however, it is the opposite. When the untold precipitation came, the officers would attempt to release as much water into rivers to capture the water, but sadly, they were too late. The dam was filled beyond its capacity, so in order to save the dam from bursting, the officers had no choice but to release the water all at once, causing over ten billion cubic meters of water to flood the entire region. Over 20 provinces in Thailand was affected and if the government had known better, this would have been a typical, harmless annual flooding.
Are we used to this?
Certainly, Thais are seared with the memories of flooding that continues to appear in frequently in Thai culture and history. Houses built on stilts are made for this purpose, to raise the household beyond the waves. This traditional design had been used for centuries and still appear in rural parts of Thailand. In addition to the iconic stilt houses, flooding also saved the Thai Kingdom of Ayuthaya from a Burmese invasion led by King Tbengsweti during the reign of Phra Maha Chakrabhat of the Supannabhumi dynasty where Burmese had laid a siege on the bastions of Ayuthaya, and was forced to retreat due to the flooding. In the contemporary era, in 1942, Bangkok experienced a similar flood during General Phiboonsongkram's military junta which row boats are a common sight in the streets. In the year 1995, Thailand was also affected with a flooding in a scale similar to the current, two years before the radical "Tom Yum Koong" economical crisis in 1997.
Flooding had plagued Thailand since the ancient time and will continue to do so. With the factors of Global Warming in play, flooding would only grow stronger. Nevertheless, with the limitless potential of the human mind, flooding could be prevented.
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A video on the 1942 flood in Bangkok, from YouTube
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