Why is this year’s flood more severe than those in the past years? All the water comes from rainwater, which occurs normally every year. Thailand is geographically sloped; therefore the rainwater from the north will naturally flow southwards to the Gulf of Thailand. In the past, the flow of water moving southward would be absorbed and delayed by forests, which were Thailand’s natural dams and water gates. However, as time pass by, technology rises, and men use it to control the flow of water themselves. In order to do this, dams were built to hold and release water whenever they like. Moreover, forests are soon replaced with residential and other industrial developments in order to cope with the increasing population; the control of water was taken over from Mother Nature’s hands to men, where a loss of control could occur. The rainfall this year is more than usual, due to the heavy and frequent rainfalls in September, having a total of approximately 100 billion cubic meters of water on land. The flood has been disrupting people’s lives, therefore the main aim is let the flood flow to the Gulf of Thailand as soon as possible. Although one solution could be to let the flood flow through Bangkok, the government’s policy is to protect the water levees, hoping that the water will stop flowing to inner Bangkok. One problem is water pressure. One theory is that the flood flowing to Bangkok will accumulate, and eventually the levees will not be able to hold the pressure anymore, which will let the water flow through. Many people wonder can the levees actually hold? When will they collapse? Though it is still unclear, but Bangkokians are still under risk being flood victims. The best solution for all of us to do is to stay calm and focus on how to prepare ourselves for the situation so we do not get affected badly.
8.4 Causes and effects of flooding and drought
Weather patterns determine the amount and location of rainfall. However, the amount and the time of rainfall are not constant for any given area. Overall, the water cycle is a balanced system. Water from rivers and lakes which are all originated from the source in the mountains, all flow towards the seas to balance the system. But sometimes there is a chance when the amount of rainfall exceeds the capacity of rainfall an area can withhold. This results a flood. Moreover, human technology can contribute to this problem too, for as stated in the video, vast forests who can absorb and delay the flow of water, are replaced with residential areas and other industrial developments which creates an impermeable surface, which does not let the water pass through into the ground, therefore it stays on land.
