After the 1997 financial crisis in Bangkok: The behaviour and implications of a new cohort of street vendors

After the 1997 financial crisis, many retrenched workers preferred not to return to provincial homes but remained in Bangkok to establish informal retail businesses in branded and other consumer products. In contrast to traditional street vendors, who specialized in food items primarily catering for low‐income customers, and focused on high volume, these ‘new generation’ street vendors also adopted more formal business practices. Given their greater sophistication and better education, we hypothesized that they would be more organized advocates of vendors' rights and thus more prone to conflicts with municipal authorities. Based on interviews, however, we found that new generation vendors are adaptive to location and business strategy, and prefer a low profile in dealing with officialdom. By contrast, traditional vendors remained more tied to particular spaces, are more likely to stand up for their rights to use public space and, because they expect more from government, are more prone to conflicts with municipal authorities. Our findings relate to ongoing discussion on the rights and needs of street vendors to access urban public space and the responsibilities of authorities to meet and provide for these informal sector livelihoods that make up a significant share of the national economy in Thailand, as elsewhere in the global South.     

87Sr/86Sr ratio: a natural tracer to monitor groundwater flow paths during artificial recharge in the Bangkok area, Thailand

The aquifer system in the Thon Buri sedimentary basin below the deltaic flood plain of the Chao Phraya River, central Thailand, has been exploited for public water supply for the capital Bangkok since the early 1920s. Groundwater withdrawal, currently 1.4 million m³/d, has resulted in a maximum decline in hydraulic head of up to 40 m. This has induced land subsidence of as much as 1.7 m (1940–1992) in the eastern suburbs of the metropolis. Artificial injection of purified water within an area-wide network of recharge wells could constitute a remedy to slow the water level depression within the sedimentary basin, and thus the subsidence. This requires a prior shutdown of water withdrawal. The flow paths of the injected water can be traced by changes in the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of the groundwater and injected water mixture within the three main aquifers in the basin that are used for public supply. The ratios, monitored at five monitoring stations within the cone of depression, have been constant over 3 years. Injection of the calculated cone volume of 5.2?×?10⁹ m³ would take at least 10 years, depending on the injection pressure and the number and position of wells.     

Characterization of defoliation conditions within a boreal Montane forest ecosystem

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) digital data acquired in the fall of 1988 and digital elevation model (DEM) data were evaluated for use in characterizing the spatial distribution of defoliation conditions within the boreal montane spruce‐fir ecosystem in the Black Mountains (Mtns.) of North Carolina. Correlation coefficients between the TM waveband data and field estimates of defoliation taken from 22 one hectare field plots were low (0.10 to ‐0.54). TM band four (near infrared) was the only waveband found to be significantly correlated with needle loss. Defoliation was also shown to be significantly correlated with digital elevation and aspect data. A multivariate linear regression model predicting percent defoliation was developed from the TM, elevation, and aspect data for the 21 field plots. In addition to having a high R2(0.85) the model was shown to reliably predict defoliation conditions throughout the ecosystem. A color‐coded classified image depicting the spatial distribution of defoliation conditions within the study site was generated by applying the model to the TM and DEM data.     

Prehistorical frequency of high‐energy marine inundation events driven by typhoons in the Bay of Bangkok (Thailand), interpreted from coastal carbonate boulders

Rapidly rising populations of low‐lying megacities in Asia mean that understanding the potential risk of coastal flooding by storm surge is of paramount concern. The city of Bangkok and the wider Chao Phraya River delta at the head of the Gulf of Thailand is a region topographically vulnerable to coastal flooding, but without the record of a high‐energy marine inundation (HEMI) event in historical time owing to the atypical path that a typhoon must take to be able to produce such an event. This work builds upon previous findings that identified coastal depositional evidence for HEMI events in the form of coastal carbonate boulders (CCBs) located on Ko Larn Island in the eastern Bay of Bangkok. The HEMI events were most likely driven by typhoons and the CCBs are therefore interpreted as typhoon deposits. Through uranium/thorium dating, it is revealed that from ad 1400 to ad 1600 the Bay of Bangkok possibly experienced a phase of relatively heightened storm impact. During this period, the frequency of typhoon‐driven HEMI events was approximately four events in 200 years. Waves generated onshore minimum flow velocities (MFVs) in excess of 5 m/s. Such exceptional MFVs are unlikely to be produced during the annual northeast monsoon, but are consistent with typhoon‐impacted coastlines elsewhere in the tropical Asia–Pacific region where similar CCB evidence exists. Since ad 1600, the Bay of Bangkok has enjoyed a relatively quiescent phase, recording less frequent HEMI events and of lower magnitude. However, the re‐occurrence of a typhoon‐driven HEMI event on the scale of the prehistorical events that emplaced carbonate boulders at elevation on Ko Larn Island would threaten low‐lying coasts in the Bay of Bangkok, including the Chao Phraya delta, with potentially damaging inundation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic variations in precipitation at Bangkok and their climatological significance

The stable isotopic composition of precipitation from low to mid latitudes contains information about changes of some climatic factors, such as temperature, precipitation and atmospheric circulation patterns. However, the isotopic variations in the area are very complicated because of the combined influences of these factors. Proper interpretation of the patterns of isotopic variations for palaeoclimate reconstructions in this area requires a detailed understanding of these complex stable isotope controls. The isotopic data (δ¹⁸O and δ²D) in precipitation at the International Atomic Energy Agency–World Meteorological Organization Bangkok station were collected and analysed because of the relatively long and unbroken isotopic records and the particular geographical location. The isotopic variations at Bangkok have strong seasonal patterns owing to distinct source regions in different seasons. In summer, the remote sources of water there can influence the δ¹⁸O values significantly, which is verified by the simple Rayleigh model. In winter, the mixing of isotopically distinct air masses with different origins, i.e. the continental and oceanic air masses, accounts for the isotopic variations. In the transition periods of the Asia–Australia monsoon, namely in May and October, the local vapour contribution may play a role in the isotopic ratios. On the interannual time‐scale, the influences of El Niño–southern oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) on isotopic composition are examined. The indications are that both the ENSO and IOD indices have a significant correlation with the δ¹⁸O ratios, and that the δ¹⁸O ratio in summer rains is significantly more enriched (depleted) during the warm (cold) phase of ENSO/IOD events. All the results suggest that it is useful for us in understanding the water cycling process and may be helpful in palaeoclimate reconstruction in this monsoon region. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predictions of a continuous hyperplasticity model for Bangkok clay

The performance of a new constitutive model called ‘kinematic hardening modified Cam clay’ (KHMCC) is presented. The model is described using the ‘continuous hyperplasticity’ framework. Essentially this involves an infinite number of yield surfaces, thus allowing a smooth transition between elasticity and plasticity. The framework allows soil models to be developed in a relatively succinct mathematical form, since the entire constitutive behaviour can be determined through the specification of two scalar potentials. An implementation of the continuous hyperplasticity model is also described. The model requires eight parameters plus a viscosity coefficient for rate-dependent analysis. The model is defined in terms of triaxial stress–strain variables for this study, and is used to model monotonic triaxial tests on Bangkok clay. Comparisons of the theoretical predictions with the results of cyclic undrained triaxial compression tests on Bangkok clay are also presented.     

Land subsidence in Bangkok, Thailand

Land subsidence from deep well pumping has been affecting Bangkok for the past 35 years. Its impact is particularly critical because of the flat low-lying topography and the presence of a thick soft clay layer at the ground surface that augment flood risk and foundation engineering problems, respectively. The subsidence reached its most critical state in the early 1980s when it occurred at a rate as high as 120 mm/year. The rate decreased in the subsequent period but the subsidence-affected area expanded following the growth of the city. Despite various attempts implemented to remedy the crisis, groundwater pumping from the thick aquifer system underneath the city continued to increase from 1.2 million m³/day in the early 1980s to more than 2.0 million m³/day at the turn of the century. Piezometric levels in the main aquifer layers had been drawn down by as much as 65 m. Monitoring data showed a clear correlation between the subsidence and piezometric drawdown. The data suggested that for 1 m³ of groundwater pumped out in Bangkok Plain, approximately 0.10 m³ of ground loss occurred at the surface. Significant development has been made in numerical methods for prediction of differential settlements between building foundations caused by the piezometric drawdown in the aquifers. The strict mitigation measures adopted recently, comprising a pricing policy for groundwater management, an expansion of tap water supply, and strict enforcement of groundwater laws, have resulted in a marked drop in groundwater use. However, the land subsidence will continue for a long while owing to the time-dependent consolidation behavior of the soft clay layer and clay aquitards.     

The Girls' Home, Bangkok, Thailand: Developing Thoughts on Democracy

This paper describes an exercise with children in the implementation of housing rights. Based on the argued opinion that housing rights cannot be exercised without participation and that participation without knowledge is pretence, a Kids and Architecture programme was initiated with a group of 40 children — displaced from homes in the Klong Toey slum in Bangkok — at a girls' home run by the Human Development Foundation (HDF). The programme, developed in two phases and involving students from the King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), School of Architecture, set about to teach these children some of the elements of architecture so that they could participate in the design of their own housing. From this experiment a number of conclusions are drawn about the implementation of housing rights and about the teaching of architecture, both to children and architecture students.     

Seismic microzonation of the greater Bangkok area using microtremor observations

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is located at a remote distance from seismic sources. However, it has a substantial risk from these distant earthquakes due to the ability of the underlying soft clay to amplify ground motions. It is therefore imperative to conduct a detailed seismic hazard assessment of the area. Seismic microzonation of big cities, like Bangkok, provides a basis for site‐specific hazard analysis, which can assist in systematic earthquake mitigation programs. In this study, a seismic microzonation map for the greater Bangkok area is constructed using microtremor observations. Microtremor observations were carried out at more than 150 sites in the greater Bangkok area. The predominant periods of the ground were determined from the horizontal‐to‐vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique. A microzonation map was then developed for the greater Bangkok area based on the observations. Moreover, the transfer functions were calculated for the soil profile at eight sites, using the computer program SHAKE91, to validate the results from the microtremor analysis. The areas near the Gulf of Thailand, underlaid by a thick soft clay layer, were found to have long natural periods ranging from 0.8s to 1.2s. However, the areas outside the lower central plain have shorter predominant periods of less than 0.4s. The study shows that there is a great possibility of long‐period ground vibration in Bangkok, especially in the areas near the Gulf of Thailand. This may have severe effects on long‐period structures, such as high‐rise buildings and long‐span bridges. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2011曼谷水灾与广州重大水灾对比分析

广州与曼谷都是沿海城市,历来受水灾侵扰,2011曼谷水灾损失严重,给亚洲城市敲响防洪警钟。文中通过对曼谷地理条件、气候变化、海平面上升和地面下沉等因素的分析,对比2011曼谷洪灾与广州重大水灾的成灾机制,认为广州不会重蹈曼谷数月浸淹式水灾的覆辙;但今后的防洪规划需具有全面性和前瞻性,充分考虑全球气候变化和城市化带来的影响。建议广州排水管网规划考虑城市化对微观地貌的改变,提高城市集水区排水容量和标准;顺应广州自然地势,合理利用湿地排水功能,将湿地纳入防洪体系。