Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt is still optimistic he can make Bangkok one of the world’s 50 most liveable cities in the next five years.
The governor said cooperation is needed from all parties if the goal is to be achieved.
“Bangkok is the most visited city but 98th on the liveable cities list,” he said, adding that he wanted to create a liveable city for all, through nine policies that will improve management in health, the environment, mobility, public safety, infrastructure, economy, education, creativity and city governance.
He said the future of city improvement is about enabling people — including locals, newcomers and visitors — to live happily and comfortably. The governor said the city has invested a lot in infrastructure such as 11 mass rapid transit lines but has not yet helped connect commuters to these mass transit services from their homes or offices.
Bangkok has invested in large incinerators in the Nong Khaem and On-Nut areas but garbage still piles up in some streets awaiting collection.
He said the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) will launch a pilot project for people to separate food waste from other waste in three districts — Phaya Thai, Pathumwan and Nong Khaem — with the aim of reducing waste in landfills.
Mr Chadchart also said the BMA has four mega water tunnels to address flood problems in Don Muang (13.5 kilometres), Ratchadaphisek-Suthisan (6.5km), Suan Luang Rama IX (9.5km) and Rama IX-Ramkhamhaeng (5km) but drainage systems coming from households or streets are still clogged.
He cited the Traffy Fondue application as an example of a simple improvement. The app developed by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec) of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) can help the city manage many problems with minimum investment.
People can report problems about city facilities via the app and follow up on their complaints. “So far more than 50% of problems reported on it have been fixed,” he said.
Credit Bangkok Post
