Restoration plan to turn clock back 60 years for Pattaya

[LaaMok]

 

Researchers have completed a master plan to reverse coastal erosion and restore a stretch of beach running between North and South Pattaya to a width of 35 metres and a length of more than 2.7 kilometres.

 

A 20member team led by Prof Thanawat Jarupongsakul, a lecturer at the Unit for Disaster and Land Information Studies at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Science, devised the plan, which will add sand to the eroded area.

 

After a year of studying different methods of adding sand, the team finally found a suitable method. Chosen because of its similar composition and grainsize to the sand on the eroded beach, 369,035 cubic metres of sand from a Rayong river mouth will be used to reclaim the beach in Pattaya to a width of 35 metres and a length of 2,785 metres - its dimensions in 1952.

 

The reclamation effort will be done in 100mlong stages, as authorities do not want it to affect vendors and tourists.

 

Thanawat said his team had done a chemical analysis to ensure that the sand from the river mouth was not contaminated by any chemical substances that could harm people. The river mouth is 90 kilometres from Pattaya.

 

"The beach is only 3.5 metres wide now; it disappears during high tide," Thanawat said.

 

"We expect that in the first year after reclamation, the beach will be eroded 10 metres; in the second and third years it will be eroded a further one metre each; and from the fourth year on, it will lose 0.8 metres per year. Therefore, we will have to add sand again every 1014 years. However, if there are heavy storms, we will have to reclaim it earlier - in the next five to seven years," he said.

 

Included in the 35metrewide reclamation area is a 15metrewide portion next to the road which will serve as a buffer zone, under which a strong buffer will be buried to prevent severe erosion when there are storms.

 

The Marine Department plans to provide Bt387 million for the reclamation, said Somchai Sumanuskajonkul, director of department's Engineering Bureau.

 

Thanawat said the team expected 1.7 million more tourists would visit Pattaya a year. It is estimated every Bt1 invested in the restoration will generate Bt40 of revenue for the city.

 

Thanawat and Somchai will this month submit the plan to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

 

"Normally, the EIA consideration process takes three months to a year. If it approves the plan, the Marine Department will be able to start the beach restoration in 2012 or 2013," said Thanawat, adding that it would take eight months to complete.

 

"If the restoration in Pattaya is successful, we will use it as a beach reclamation model to be implemented at other eroded beaches in Thailand," Somchai said.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/new/national/Restoration-plan-to-turn-clock-back-60-years-for-P-30166600.html

[leadpencil]

That is a serious amount of sand to move - a lot of work and a lot of expense.

 

I hope that they have their calculations right. Last winter they spent three months shipping in sand to a beach near where I live in Spain. Not long after there were heavy storms and it was all washed away in a single weekend.

[Ron Rat]

Don't see how that will bring in nearly 2 million tourists a year. Do they have the rooms.

[Bill Wilson]

Don't see how that will bring in nearly 2 million tourists a year. Do they have the rooms.

 

I would love to see the actual contracts

- tranportation details

- transportation costs

etc

 

ex: if the plan on 1,000 trucks of sand....

there will be a cost per truck

but how many of the "paid for loads" will arrive LOL

[LTGTR]

Like all things Thai,I'll believe it when I see it.

[Scumbag]

With a title like that you will have the cheap charlies cumming in their pants...

 

Sounds like traffic chaos of Beach Road for quite some time.

[doc_holliday]

Just don't scare away the Coconut Club girls. I depend on them during the day!

[sinbinjack]

I would love to see the actual contracts

- tranportation details

- transportation costs

etc

 

ex: if the plan on 1,000 trucks of sand....

there will be a cost per truck

but how many of the "paid for loads" will arrive LOL

Surely it going to come by sea otherwise the congestion would outweigh the benefits,as well as being cheaper by a factor of at least 10.I withdraw my last part as it would be so much more expensive to ship by road in western Europe but even in Thailand it must be a lot more to ship by road than to bulk carry by sea.

[rezbin]

add sand again every 1014 years.

Should read "add sand again every 10 to 14 years."

Edited October 2, 2011 by rezbin

[snowmaan]

hope they get it don as it is really needed

[real tintin]

Wish they would rather do something about teh quality of the water!

[Guy360]

I remember Pattaya back in late 1966. Beach Rd was BEACH ROAD with the sand blowing over it when the wind picked up. The beaches seemed to be about 50 meters and were clean. The only thing on the beaches were some old wooden fishing boats pulled up out of the water and their nets splayed out for repair and drying.

 

It would be nice to have that beach back, but the key is stopping the erosion that will result over time. Some sort of barrier creating an inner channel may be advisable in order to maintain the newly reformed beach.

 

I cringe at thinking how this will effect the traffic on Beach Rd. It probably won't be too bad between the dolphin circle and Soi 6. But anything south of there will create more havoc than there already is.

 

This reclamation will go hand and hand with the decimation of the bars and Go-Gos between Beach Rd and 2nd Road and the building of condos, hotels and resorts, along with some more upscale shopping.

 

Guy

[come to pappa]

why studies , why so difficult just call the dutch they make a new beach in no time

[gregpatt]

Great idea! Pattaya and Jomtien are the only 2 beaches in Thailand, where I never go for swimming! They are just ugly and diry with all that plastic (and I don'd want to know what else) swimming in the dirty brown water!

I'd be happy, if they could make a clean nice beach (please find a solution for clean water too!).

So we could enjoy fun AND beach in Pattaya!

[proteus]

why studies , why so difficult just call the dutch they make a new beach in no time

 

Absolutely correct. Just bring a couple of suction dredgers in and take the sand from the seabed and pump it onto the beach???

 

Thats how they built the islands in Dubai

[PadTheLad]

One way to prevent beach erosion in the future, and to create a more interesting beach environment, would be to scuttle an old iron freighter (or warship) at right angles to the Beach Road, as close to the beach wall as possible. It should probably be just to the North of Pattaya Tai junction with Beach Road. Sink another old ship or two further out also, and you would create an artificial reef which would provide a great home for fish, crustaceans and multiple corals.

Edited October 2, 2011 by PadTheLad

[legia]

Like all things Thai,I'll believe it when I see it.

You got this one right my friend.

[jerry]

why studies , why so difficult just call the dutch they make a new beach in no time

 

No this is Thai style , 20 Thai professors gonna invent the wheel again instead of asking some foreign experts .

Almost shore after finishing this job the sand will be gone again in a few months .

[Scumbag]

One way to prevent beach erosion in the future, and to create a more interesting beach environment, would be to scuttle an old iron freighter (or warship) at right angles to the Beach Road, as close to the beach wall as possible. It should probably be just to the North of Pattaya Tai junction with Beach Road. Sink another old ship or two further out also, and you would create an artificial reef which would provide a great home for fish, crustaceans and multiple corals.

I read somewhere a while ago that there used to be coral in the bay. I guess all the crap that they put into the water killed it.

[fostraswift]

great...i'll come to pattaya for the beach from now on..

[Patapusr]

I dont understand all the sarcasm. The powers that be have realised that action needs to be taken. The same people realised over 5 years ago that the main thoroughfare between Pattaya & Jomtien was in a bad condition and that tourists would not put up with the disruption any longer. They put words into action and the Thappraya road plan was put into operation. They were so committed to improving the road that i witnessed cambodian widows being forced to work on the road on a Tuesday afternoon in low season. Sand and concrete is not easy to get on a wednesday afternoon in Thailand but the dedication of these people and their ingenuity showed that old sewage pipes could suffice as road fill when time was of the essence. People talk about the Japanese efficiency building the Burma railway being built in such a short period of time but history has outdone them in that the Pattaya-Jomtien road only took about 5 years to be semi passable. Thats about 1km every 5 years..... Discovery channel is looking through old hospital records to piece together the progress of the project & film this fete of engineering before they start on the beach reclamation documentary. They stated that they will use similar technology of the Bullet through the apple movie clips, but opposed to 1000 FPS (frames per second) they will utilise the latest 3 FPM (frames per month) to document the beach reclamation project. Im 45 YO so i hope that i can see Pattaya beach in it full glory before im too old to remember who i am and where i am.

Go the city hall.

[sail]

I hope that they will be able to do this. They really need some beach there. 15 meters wide will be good, 35 meters wide will be great.

[keekwai]

They ought to change the entire city back to a fishing village and drop all the prices accordingly. i.e 200 BAht long time ... 555.

[j7general]

I wonder what the people of Rayong think of taking there sand to replenish Pattaya's beaches? of course it will have to be trucked in at tremendous cost. Rayong is the filthiest province in Thailand due to all the refineries, petro-chemicals, and factories that belch out heavy metals. That sand is sure to contain lead, mercury, and god know's what. Other than that, it's a great idea!

[jojomecanic]

Industrialisation brought us earth global warming. So the water came up and took the beaches away...

 

So humans plans to rebuilt the beaches (they do this in all countries) with escavators, trucks, engines... that will produce CO² and warm earth a bit more.

So the water level will come up a bit more, and take the sand away again...

 

Things comes and go. Nothing remain..... except humans stupidity.