100 Places To Remember: Bangkok, Thailand
Geschreven op 22-4-2010 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Natuur
The Sinking City of Angels. Home to hundreds of Buddhist temples and tiny canals, a multitude of street vendors, thousands of skyscrapers, an elevated urban sky train and a brand new airport, Bangkok is a tropical metropolis where the traditional East meets the modernity of the West.
Dissected by the Chao Phraya river and built on the soft, loamy soil of its banks and delta, Bangkok, now home to a population of almost 15 million, used to be a minor port and trading centre. In 1782, it became the capital of the independent kingdom of Siam, the official name for Thailand until 1939. The Thai name for Bangkok is Krung Thep, meaning City of Angels.
Since US soldiers serving in the Vietnam War began spending their leave in Bangkok in the 1960s, Thailand has developed rapidly as a tourist destination. The capital now serves as a gateway to South-East Asia from the rest of the world, with up to 15 million tourists passing through every year.
Located in one of Asias mega deltas and only two metres above sea level, Bangkok is massively exposed to flooding, especially during the monsoon season. This is compounded by the fact that the city is sinking due to the soft underground, heavy urbanisation and excessive pumping of groundwater. Some estimates suggest that the whole city is subsiding by as much as 5 cm a year.
All of these conditions make the Thai capital particularly vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Any increase in extreme storm surges would erode the coastal area and cause severe flooding. Salt-water intrusion could also seriously affect supplies of drinking water.
Unless urgent steps are taken, large parts of Bangkok could be under water before the end of the century.
118th Year Anniversary of Udon Thani, Thailand: Fireworks – Problemen door overstromingen Thailand: Kwart Thailand Staat Blank – Bangkok In Gevarenzone – Happy New Year 2555 – Happy Songkran – Sawatdee pi Maï – Thais Celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej Birthday – Staatsbezoek Koningin Beatrix en Prins Willem-Alexander aan Thailand – Problemen door overstromingen Thailand: Kwart Thailand Staat Blank – Bangkok In Gevarenzone – Het Nieuwe Werken vanuit Thailand
