Bangkok--20 Dec--BrainAsia Communication
Thailand Underground and Tunnelling Group(TUTG) led by Associate Professor Suchatvee Suwansawat and TUTG executives revealed that Thailand has won to host World Tunnel Congress 2012 on 18-23 May 2012 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. The launching of WTC 2012 is presided by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Mr.Kittirat Na Ranong . TUTG proposed the innovative option for sustainable underground flood prevention “MUSTS Flood Tunnel ” 100 km. in length on the outer ring road from Bang Pa-in to Samutprakarn and the Gulf of Thailand with more value added Hydro power generation. Four high profile professionals were invited to contribute their viewpoints in the Special Talk on “Turning the Flood Crisis to Reform Thailand’s infrastructure” The panel consists of Dr.Teerachon Manomaiphibul (Deputy BMA Governor), Mr.Payungsak Chartsutipol (Preisdent of FIT), ,Mr.Prasong Tharachai (Ex-EIT President) and Dr.Suchatvee Suwansawat (TUTG chairman and congress Chairman of World Tunnel Congress 2012).
Associate Professor Dr.Suchatvee Suwansawat, Thailand Underground and Tunnelling Group(TUTG) chairman and congress Chairman of World Tunnel Congress 2012 says, “Thailand Underground and Tunneling Group, TUTG, is one of the most active groups under the umbrella of Engineering Institute of Thailand. TUTG core members come from various backgrounds - engineers, scientists, academics, researchers and practitioners with the same goal, to work for and to promote tunneling and underground space utilization for the country and the ASEAN region in cooperation with a global tunneling and underground space society.
TUTG is a Member Nation of International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association(ITA-AITES) which is an international technical-based organization having special consultative status with United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC) since 1987. ITA is also a partner of United Nations International Strategic Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR). Founded in 1974 by nineteen nations, ITA now consists of 64 Member Nations and 310 Corporate or Individual Affiliate Members. The key missions of ITA are to encourage the use of the subsurface for the benefit of public, environment and sustainable development and to promote advances in planning, design, construction, maintenance and safety of tunnels and underground space. ITA members in the Southeast Asia are Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In the near future it is likely that Myanmar will join its membership.
TUTG President and WTC 2012 congress chairman explains the flood prevention and solution for Bangkok, “ 2011 flood crisis in Bangkok and other major provinces is considered the worst natural disaster in recent Thai history. With damage totaling 1,400,000 million Baht, adverse impact of this disaster is extremely significant for Thai economy , daily life of the citizens, industries, agriculture and the world’s automobile industries , IT and food supplies. There are also intangible damages apart from the tangible losses. Among several factors contributed to the severe flooding in upstream provinces and Bangkok itself, 2 key responsible factors are ; Excessive rainfall from major typhoons and insufficient flood drain system in Chaophaya Basin including Bangkok. As we all know, climate change is causing excessive rainfall in many parts of the world, which is of natural phenomena beyond our control, we have to defend this severe natural disaster by improving flood drain system. Three major systems to improve flood drain or flood way.
Type System Practicality and Effectiveness
1 Open channels or canals on the groundsurface Not practical in every area considering current land use (e.g. Bangkok suburban and urban land use). Expensive to appropriate the land owned by ordinary citizens or private sectors. In some areas, this type of flood diversion system may cause social conflicts and chaos between flooded, to-be-flooded and the unflooded communities. With different ground elevation and land use pattern in potential floodway zone, it may not be practical to effectively implement.
2 Subsurface canals or shallow underground structures Practical to implement but relatively ineffective due to limited flood drain capacity
3 Large Flood Drain Tunnels Practical and effective in most area and land use especially in Bangkok
Above three systems should be integrated. Type 1 should be used in upstream area or suburban area of provinces in northern Bangkok. Type 2 can be used in both suburban and urban area. Type 3, Large Flood drain tunnels are considered practical, most effective and hence the best solution to prevent the major flood in long term.
Bangkok will not be drowned like Atlantis; TUTG is pleased to propose MUSTS or Multi-Service Underground Tunnel System as large flood drain Tunnel underneath Eastern Outer Ring Road from Ban Pa In to Samut Prakarn. Total length of this underground system is approximately 100 km depending on the final selection after having further feasibility studies. (see attached map, Figure 1). Similar system could be considered for the western part of Bangkok.
Using diaphragm walls (underground earth-retaining walls), cut-and-cover tunnel could be constructed beneath the existing Eastern Outer Ring Road. Using special construction method called “Top-Down Construction” (similar to method adopted for construction of subway station underneath Bangkok roads), this system will have minimum impact on current use of outer ring road. The cut-and-cover tunnel will be designed and constructed as double-deck underground structure (similar to 2 levels underground basement) .Upper Deck — will be used as road tunnel in normal condition, no flood or minor flood as shown in Figure 3 and during moderate flood (Figure 4). Lower Deck — will be used as flood drain in normal condition no flood or minor flood as shown in Figure 3 and during moderate flood (Figure 4). Upper Deck — will be stopped using as road tunnel or underground motorway and will be used as flood drain or flood way once major flood comes. ( Figure 5)
MUSTS integrated with other Systems
MUSTS or Multi-Service Flood Tunnel System will be integrated with Type 1 and Type 2 system as appropriate in both provinces in urban area of Bangkok. In Bangkok, in addition to existing Type 1 system, large to medium diameter (3 to 5m) inlet flood tunnels will be constructed to drain the runoff water from critical flood prone area into MUSTS during rainy season and during storm or flush flood — please see Figure 2. Possible Power Generation using Deep Shaft will be integrated with MUSTS. Drain water from MUSTS can be further utilized to produce hydro-power as can be seen in Figure 6. Depending on the selected size of the project, electricity of 200-600 MW can be produced by extended application of MUSTS as Multi-Service System.
Figure 6 Power Generation Shaft in Multi-Service Flood Tunnel System
Advantages of underground flood diversion tunnel
MUSTS solution is suitable for existing Bangkok’s physical land use - a result of urbanization process for many years. Bounded by roads, natural flood way has been totally changed with densely built housing development, and commercial buildings. Canals were blocked and some of them have been completely disappeared as a result of urbanization. Selection of underground space under existing major roads will not face difficulties in extensive land appropriation. During the major flood having efficient underground flood tunnel will not cause social conflicts or chaos as we have experienced in recent flooding. Currently, more than 100 cities in Asia and around the world turn to develop underground space and tunnel for flood drainage and as modern logistics routes which provide more efficient, resilient infrastructure with higher security for the citizens.
Success of overseas underground infrastructures
Many cities around the world including countries in Asia such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea ,Taiwan and Singapore provide good solution for their citizens with good quality life and economic stability with underground infrastructures. Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, facing major flood which severely damaged life of ordinary people and economy every year in the past; has developed multi-purposed tunnel called SMART. Presently Kuala Lumpur is safe from flood disaster and with additional facility to solve congestive traffic.
Another interesting project, located in northern Hong Kong which is naturally under the tropical cyclone in summer with annual rainfall of about 2200 mm has been facing seasonal flooding. Hong Kong developed “Storm-water Drainage Master Plan Study” and adopted a drainage tunnel to intercept storm-water from the upper catchment at the Mid-Levels and discharge to the sea directly, thus reducing storm-water flowing to the low-lying residential and business areas such as Kennedy Town, Shek Tong Tsui, Sai Ying Pan, Sheung Wan, Central and Wan Chai. The project was commenced in 2007 and will be completed this year.
Chicago, USA., save the city from flooding by constructing 176 km, Tunnel of Diameter 2.4m to 10.8m under Tunnel and Reservoir Plan Project (TARP).
In Tokyo, Japan, which faced flooding every year in the past, came up with solution of GCANS project 64 km long Flood Tunnel. The world’s biggest underground logistic tunnel is Boston Central Artery, 12 lanes width equivalent to Rajdamnoen Avenue. We can see that most advanced technology of underground construction are from European countries and Japan.
www.wtc2012.com , www.facebook.com/tunnelthailand/, www.twitter.com/tunnelthailand/
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