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posted by mrpg on Monday September 03 2018, @11:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the learn-to-swim dept.

With rising sea levels, Bangkok struggles to stay afloat.

As Bangkok prepares to host climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade.

[...] As temperatures rise, abnormal weather patterns—like more powerful cyclones, erratic rainfall, and intense droughts and floods—are predicted to worsen over time, adding pressure on governments tasked with bringing the 2015 Paris climate treaty to life.

Bangkok, built on once-marshy land about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level, is projected to be one of the world's hardest hit urban areas, alongside fellow Southeast Asian behemoths Jakarta and Manila.

"Nearly 40 percent" of Bangkok will be inundated by as early as 2030 due to extreme rainfall and changes in weather patterns, according to a World Bank report.

Currently, the capital "is sinking one to two centimetres a year and there is a risk of massive flooding in the near future," said Tara Buakamsri of Greenpeace.


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  • (Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Monday September 03 2018, @10:22PM

    by Aiwendil (531) on Monday September 03 2018, @10:22PM (#729986) Journal

    Not that hard to fix really. Bangkok (or greater part of Thailand for that matter) is surrounded by a nice U-shaped set of mountain ridges, the only open part is a 225mi/360km stretch. This is well within what can be built today (the dutch covered about half that in 50 years) and should only cost them about 1% of their GDP for a few years if they want it done fast.

    Once the dam is built you can drain the entire thing down to whatever level you want, and if Vietnam start to complain about the different drainage speed of the Mekong River (it makes the border) then suggest damming it partially to slow it down, or build a basin that catches and slows it.

    And yes, the waters outside of bangkok is fairly shallow as well.

    So if they struggle their problem is with corruption and/or shoddy politicians.

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