They are Sinkholes. According to http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215689/sinkwhat.html; "A sink hole is the erosion of land. It forms when underground water dissolves minerals in the ground. This creates a buried hole. Eventually, the hole becomes large enough that the land on top caves in. Sinkholes are common in land containing limestone, because limestone is soft and has water holes like a sponge. It also dissolves in water." (See picture 1 for an easier understanding)
picure 1.
However, though Bangkok is not located in limestone areas like those provinces mentioned above, it is still in the risk of having one (or more) because this terrible disaster is also caused by human, from pumping up groundwater for people's consumption.
Phra Nakhon side of Bangkok (around the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) use to be canals in the early Ratanakhosin era that even people from the west use to call Bangkok as the "Venice of the East!" But when westerns came they also brought their technology and knowledge with them. Economy became more important than tradition, ROADS became more important than canals. That is why the government of Siam piled up the canals and make them as streets for cars and convenient transportation system. Though time passes the canals are still there underneath the streets of Phra Nakhon. About a century after, the population growth rapidly increased also the need of water consumption. Since people know that underneath Bangkok lies a large source of water, they pumped it up for their, also, our, consumption. By doing so continuously, the groundwater source decreases. This will cause the constructions in those areas to slowly collapse. But at this time of total disaster and the stimulation from climate change, things may be worse than we could imagine. Just like in Guatemala, the roads of Phra Nakhon could possibly be like picture 2.
picture 2
Is there anything we could do to fix the past? How about trying to find a solution and protection for this.
In my opinion, such disater caused consuming underground water without experience and awareness. How many people totally understand that pumping the underground mineral ,causing land slide or sand, clay and aquifer subsided.
ReplyDeletePumping underground water should provide information and effect of consumption. The area of installing pump should observe and study initially. The effect of pumping underground water will be injury to death.
Moreover, set up pumping water should be allowed form government or jurisdiction. The state should create the laws and regulation in order to control using setting up underground mineral station and quality of water.
If you ask me, "Why we have been used the groundwater in the past?".I think groundwater is easily to use and more quantity.In general,groundwater is clean because it has been screened by natural soil and rock before stored in underground.Moreover,depth of water will cause microbrial contamination from the surface can not survive.Groundwater has a clean and sterile.However,the properties of groundwater is different in each area depend on properties and contamination of soil.If soil contaminate toxic substance,groundwater will contaminate too.For example,The Northeast of Thailand if you pump groundwater in this area it likely to find salt water because soil layer have accumulated alot of salt.For the North of Thailand if the pumps are most likely to find some water mixed with Fluoride,which adversely affect consumers.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the use of groundwater will many affect but groundwater is important to quanlity og life and economic growth.The study of water use in Thailand that both countries are using water for commercial,industrial and agriculture consumption approximately 35,000 cubic meters per year,which more than half of the water from groundwater sources.
Moreover,Groundwater drilling should be allowed from the Grounwater Resource Department to examine soil,rock,mineral and control quantity use of groundwater resource.
Thanks for posting this article, yes, I remember reading about this case in Guatemala (picture 2). Its very scary, and the prospect of having this in Bangkok, I can imagine if its under highly populated building (which most buildings are now, esp. central Bangkok), it would be a huge disaster. I also read that Bangkok is now the number 1 city in the world with the most construction projects, so i think this puts even more pressure, especially as you mentioned that Bangkok is actually on an area of lots of underground water, making it susceptible to flooding, sinkholes as you mentioned, and I would think also earthquakes in the future, as we are pumping out water, the layers would start readjusting, and could cause huge earthquakes. There really should be a proper agency looked at this, and regulate construction works plus extraction from ground water.
ReplyDeleteFrom this post and your comments, I realize that we have to think as a holistic view for environmental management.
ReplyDeleteLet's think about this: If you were an engineer in Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (Thailand) who has respobsibilities on groundwater usage and management, what you would like to plan, do, and management in the term of Industrial ecology and environment.
Sinkhole is one of disaster to indicate that the world and environment getting sick. !!!!!
I think about groundwater. If you bring groundwater more , underground will be space more. Nowaday, in Bangkok and urban has law to not to bring groundwater to use. Because in the future ,land will be hole.
ReplyDelete