BANGKOK — A backhoe was needed to pull a recliner and mattress from a drainage tunnel Friday along with tonnes of debris and waste blocking the waterway one day after the city suffered yet another round of monsoon flooding.
With more rain coming, Bangkok City Hall staff today went to clear a drainage tunnel in the Rama IX area to help move water from the Saen Saep and Ladprao khlongs out to the Chao Phraya River.
Over 10 tonnes of waste were found, said a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration sewer official.
Effective drainage is central to keeping the capital free of floods, and annual flooding is usually followed by city officials asserting they did everything possible to prepare.
Authorities said 90 percent of the junk was household waste, including a big bed and sofa.
Small waste that could not be removed by machine had to be cleared manually by workers, which slowed drainage of the still-waterlogged cityscape today.
