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Dhammakaya Temple and Khlong Luang people protected the flood together (Episode III)
While the first mass of water released through many water gates was going to flood the inner areas of Bangkok, no dykes could block it except the dyke at Rapeepat Canal because the monks, novices, laypeople, disciples, volunteers, staffs, Khlong Luang people, officials and officers built it with love and brave.
Monks and novices helped one another to protect the flood
We did it all day and night
As we have mentioned before that
1. The source of mass water was from Ayutthaya plain and was overflowing on Phaholyothin Road between Kilometer No. 55 to 59. The overflowing rate was over 100 million cubic meters per day while Chulalongkorn Pumping Station at Rangsit could pump the water down to Chao Phraya River only 10 million cubic meters per day. So the pumping rate was only one-tenth of the overflowing rate, even Khlong Luang people could keep the dyke at Rapeepat Canal to block the mass water, but the small amount of the water released through Phra-In Watergate and the water gates at Khlong No. 1 to 6 was enough to flood Ransit district because of the mentioned rates. From this reason, the water was overflowing and flooding Khukhot, Saimai, Don Muang (the runway of the airport is flooded now), Bangkaen (including Kasetsart University) and Ladprao districts and was going to flood the inner areas of Bangkok.
This flood is the worst event in the 50-year period in Thailand
2. If we can block the mass water from the North not to overflow on Phaholyothin Road, we will be able to close the water gates one after another within 24 hours to control the released water not over the capacity of the pumping stations. Then, the water level at Rangsit, Khukhot, Saimai, Don Muang district and the amount of water flowing to flood the inner areas of Bangkok will be less and the disaster which will threaten the inner areas of Bangkok, the heart of the country, will be controlled and removed at last.
This flood is the worst event in the 50-year period in Thailand
3. When the government had known about the source of water flowing to flood the inner areas of Bangkok, the government ordered the Ministry of Transport to clear Phaholyothin Road between Kilometer No. 55 to 79 which there were three benefits:
a. It will block the water not to flood Bangkok more than this which is another direct solution. The flood situation in Bangkok will be better and we will be able to protect the inner areas of Bangkok, the heart of the country.
b. Whenever we can clear Phaholyothin Road which is the main route to the North of Thailand, it will enable the transporting of food, drinking water, medicines and other helps to the flood victims easier because the land transportation, the parade of ten-wheeled trucks, is better than the air or water transportations in the aspects of time, cost and amount.
c. The goods transportation will be able to operate and people will be able to travel again. So the businesses will be continue and people will come back to work again. It is the national economic restoration in the overview.
4. Since the government had a lot of responsibilities in many areas, so the Ministry of Transport asked the temple for the cooperation – the monks, novice and people cooperated with the officials and officers to clear Phaholyothn Road and block the water not to flow to flood Bangkok as soon as possible. The officials and officers would use the heavy machines, such as crane trucks, to lift containers and giant sand bags and then put them on the road to block the water in the deep areas. The temple and people carried the small sand bags and concrete cylinder pipes to build them as the barriers on the road in the shallower areas.
5. On October 26th, 2011, about 1,000 total people including monks, novices and residents went there to do it and the barrier was hundreds of meters long. We spent only two hours because we knew the importance of protecting Bangkok.
6. When we had finished the initial work and returned homes, some people who lived above the blocked areas were dissatisfied because the flood level around their houses was higher. In fact, the flood level was about 10 – 20 centimeter higher because the areas above the blocked area were very wide, over 10,000 square kilometers. There were about 30 – 40 protesters gathering there and forced the heavy machine users to stop the operation. We saw that the protesters had lived in the flood areas for many days, so they were stressful and easy to be dissatisfied. But this flood is the disaster which is threatening Thailand. The solution needs the cooperation and sacrifice from every section. It is the fact that the practical operation will affect some people, so everyone should determine it in the overall as well as the public sector should give the special helps for the affected people. If we, all Thai people, understand, help one another and unite, we can deal both big and small problems certainly.
7. The project of blocking the water on Phaholyothin Road is suspended and we, Dhammakaya Temple, are waiting for the government to make people understand and we would like to confirm that the public sector is the main operator. We, Dhammakaya Temple, will keep the dyke at Rapeepat Canal between Khlong Nueng to Khlong Sam well to block the mass water and reduce the bad effects for Bangkok people as much as possible. We still keep making food, drinking water, medicine and the needed things, over 10,000 packages per day, to help the flood victims.
“The power of harmony, the power to overcome the flood disaster”
We, Dhammakaya Temple, still keep making food, drinking water,
medicine and the needed things, over 10,000 packages per day, to help
the flood victims.
We, Dhammakaya Temple, keep helping
the flood victims.
Translated by Chadawee Chaipooripat
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