This Technology Transfer Advances Thailand's

• Nationally Determined Contribution to 
  • Strengthen disaster risk reduction and reduce population’s vulnerability to climate risk and extreme weather events through enhanced awareness, coordination and adaptive capacity of local communities, especially in the disaster risk-prone areas
  • Establish effective early warning system and enhance the adaptive capacity of national agencies through multi-hazard risk assessment, systematic observations, integrative research and development of database, model, and technology

Context

As a coastal megacity, Bangkok faces increased climate-related risks such as rising sea levels and an increased frequency of extreme weather events. Costs on infrastructure and the economy from major flooding events could run into the billions of dollars, with urban poor populations likely to be the hardest hit. For Bangkok to address future climate related risks, sound urban environmental management is crucial. Groundwater pumping, dumping of solid waste into city canals and waterways, clogged drainage systems, and deforestation in the upper watershed all contribute to urban flooding. Better management of these urban environmental issues will help manage future climate-related impacts.

CTCN Support Requested

Technology transfer and capacity building in advanced urban storm water management, applied to the complex and challenging drainage network of Bangkok via the following:

• Capacity building and technical assistance supporting the technological platform to be applied
• Training in use of advanced 20 hydrodynamic urban flood model
• Evaluation of critical areas where special emphasis are needed, like hospitals and critical transport junctions

Specific activities include:

• Identification of relevant data sources for the flood forecast system (SCADA, rain radar, gauges)
• Refinement of existing model of the demonstration area
• Linking data collection system and model environment
• Configuration of Information and Operational system
• Dissemination workshop

Relevant Technologies and Approaches

• Flood forecasting systems
• Community-run Early Warning Systems
• Canals and drainage systems

Expected Benefits

The activity will enhance the skills and competences within the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

• The focus on use of advanced technologies (such as data collection, processing, modeling and forecasting) will contribute to advancement of staff competences.
• The benefits for the city dwellers will be early warning of rapidly generated floods, allowing for better caretaking of properties in the exposed areas.
• The system will enable better regulation of traffic, potentially benefiting hundreds of thousands commuters travelling in the city day and night.
• Advance knowledge of flood prone areas will enable better organized evacuation and reduce health risks for particularly vulnerable people.