Quick-to-build floodwalls
Geotextile big-bag walls used in the US & Iraq are a proven technology that may protect Thailand's industrial estates in the future.
Geotextile big-bag walls used in the US & Iraq are a proven technology that may protect Thailand's industrial estates in the future.
Photo above shows Iraqi Army engineers filling a four foot section of a Hesco Bastion wall with their bucket loader. Photo below shows Hesco Bastion walls being used for fortifications in Afghanistan.
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Floods
DISASTER RELIEF
UK firm: Big bags the way to go in flood prevention
Nanchanok Wongsamuth
"We are in talks with with several industrial estates about setting up special flood prevention barriers," sales director Jonathan Bird said on the sidelines of the Asian Natural Disaster Conference.
The two-day event kicked off at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok yesterday.
We've been directly in contact with the government, and we trust them to assist us here in Thailand.
The barriers, using the same technology for which Hesco provides life-saving fortifications for troops in war zones, are 10 metres long and one meter high, made from geotextiles and filled with sand.
Geotextiles are fabrics that, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect or drain.
Each barrier takes 20 minutes to assemble and is the equivalent of 1,600 sand bags.
The government contacted Hesco last November and spent 30 million baht to erect 10 kilometres of the barriers to protect the Din Daeng expressway and Don Mueang airport.
These are now being kept by the Royal Thai Army as a part of Thailand's disaster contingency planning.
Don Mueang airport suffered 2 billion baht worth of damage and many more billions in lost revenue and inventory.
Mr Bird said Hesco barriers could protect the entire facility for 125 million baht, adding that the product lasts for 10 years.
"We see very good market growth in Thailand, which has been very progressive in understanding the problem. Indonesia and Malaysia will be looking at the Thailand model, and we see growth in those areas too," he said.
The main growth is expected to be in water pumping stations, electricity generation, hospitals and transportation links, with the fastest-growing market in flood control and oil and gas protection.
Hesco is also in talks with insurance firms to lower premium costs.
Mr Bird said soil dykes are the best alternative for semi-permanent flood control, as concrete barriers are immovable.
Pran Siamwalla, president of the Association of Natural Disaster Prevention Industry (ANDPI), said technology must be quickly deployed.
He said the ANDPI will help introduce various technologies locally, as demand is very high and but supply is short.
"The ANDPI was formed to play a pivotal role in orchestrating industries to move towards a natural-disaster-proof economy," said Mr Pran.
The private sector still has not seen any plans from the government despite the prime minister saying one has already been finalised.
(Source: Bangkok Post, DISASTER RELIEF, UK firm: Big bags the way to go in flood prevention, 10/02/2012, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, link)
Flood Prevention Vocabulary
Hesco Bastion - a modern wall (or gabion) "used for flood control and military fortification and the name of the British company that developed it in the late 1980s. It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner, and used as a temporary to semi-permanent dike or barrier against blast or small-arms. It has seen considerable use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Originally designed for use on beaches and marshes for erosion and flood control... They were used in 2005 to reinforce levees around New Orleans in the few days between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. During the June 2008 Midwest floods 27,000 feet of Hesco barrier wall were shipped to Iowa. In late March, 2009, 35,000 feet of Hesco barrier were delivered to Fargo, North Dakota to fight floods" (See Wikipedia and website)
fortification - walls to protect soldiers in a war (or engaged in military operations) (See Wikipedia)
bastion - a fort, a place where an army has strong defenses and fortifications
troops - soldiers
war zones - areas where there is a war happening
life-saving fortifications for troops in war zones
geotextiles - fabrics which that water can pass through, used with soil they have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain, used to build roads,fences, embankments, retaining structures, reservoirs, canals, dams, bank protection, coastal engineering, airfields, railroads, etc, "typically made from polypropylene or polyester, geotextile fabrics come in three basic forms: woven (looks like mail bag sacking), needle punched (looks like felt), or heat bonded (looks like ironed felt) (See Wikipedia)
The barriers, using the same technology for which Hesco provides life-saving fortifications for troops in war zones, are 10 metres long and one meter high, made from geotextiles and filled with sand.
filter - pass through a device to remove impurities or some other substance
reinforce - to make stronger; to make a group of soldiers, police, etc. stronger by adding more people or equipment to it (the noun form is reinforcements) เสริมกำลังเจ้าหน้าที่ เสริมกำลัีงทหาร
Geotextiles are fabrics that, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect or drain.
barrier - anything that prevents things from passing through a place (example: a barrier to water passing into an area) อุปสรรค
concrete barrier
assemble - bring parts together in a single group ประกอบ
equivalent - the same as เท่าเทียมกันกับ
Each barrier takes 20 minutes to assemble and is the equivalent of 1,600 sand bags.
disaster - when a very bad event happens that causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people ความหายนะ ภัยพิบัติ
disaster relief - helping people who have been hurt by a disaster
contingency - some event that may happen in the future, a possibility (See glossary)
disaster contingency planning - planning for disasters that could possibly happen in the future
These are now being kept by the Royal Thai Army as a part of Thailand's disaster contingency planning.
natural disaster - a bad event involving nature such as a storm, floods, earthquake, tsunami that causes destruction, damage and injury
disaster-proof - protected from damage and harm; cannot be hurt or damaged by a disaster
natural-disaster-proof economy - when the economy is protected from natural disasters such as floods (cannot not be hurt or damaged)
The ANDPI was formed to play a pivotal role in orchestrating industries to move towards a natural-disaster-proof economy
the way to go - the right choice to make (in a situation)
UK firm: Big bags the way to go in flood prevention
prevention - the act of preventing something, or things that people do in order to prevent something
proposed - suggested (but not yet chosen or decided upon), presented as a possible project
crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤตการณ์ วิกฤต
Special flood prevention barriers should be erected instead of the concrete walls that have been proposed by industrial estates to prevent a repeat of last year's flood crisis, says the UK-based Hesco Bastion Ltd, which makes the barriers.
talks - negotiations, formal discussions of problems between different sides in a conflict in order to solve the problem
"We are in talks with with several industrial estates about setting up special flood prevention barriers," sales director Jonathan Bird said on the sidelines of the Asian Natural Disaster Conference.
kicked off - started (official start of a program, event or activity)
The two-day event kicked off at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok yesterday.
contact - having communication with someone; regular meeting and communication between two groups of people ติดต่อ สัมผัส การพบปะ ติดต่อ ระหว่างคนสองกลุ่ม
directly in contact with - meeting people in the government (face-to-face); not just sending email or over the phone or internet
trust - have confidence in each other; believing in other people; that they will do as they promised ความเชื่อมั่น
assist - help
We've been directly in contact with the government, and we trust them to assist us here in Thailand.
revenue - income from taxes or business activities รายได้
lost revenue - money that the company or organization could have received (but did not, for some reason)
inventory - goods that a company has bought and stores in shops or warehouses for future use or sale สินค้าที่จัดเก็บในสต๊อก (See Wikipedia)
Don Mueang airport suffered 2 billion baht worth of damage and many more billions in lost revenue and inventory.
facility - a building or group of buildings and equipment used for a particular purpose
barriers could protect the entire facility
Mr Bird said Hesco barriers could protect the entire facility for 125 million baht, adding that the product lasts for 10 years.
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
water pumping stations - a building with water pumps in it used to move water uphill from one area to another area
electricity generation - making electricity (from gasoline or natural gas, for example)
links - connections ความเชื่อมโยงกัน
transportation links - transportation connections between two places (by road, waterway, boat, railway, for example)
The main growth is expected to be in water pumping stations, electricity generation, hospitals and transportation links, with the fastest-growing market in flood control and oil and gas protection.
insurance - when you pay a company to take your risk for you; a system of protection against loss, a person pays money every month (premiums) for a guarantee that the company will pay them money if they or their property is damaged or lost (See Wikipedia) (การประกันความเสี่ยง ประกันราคา)
premium - insurance premium
insurance premium - the regular payment (every month or year) made to an insurance company to protect you from risk
Hesco is also in talks with insurance firms to lower premium costs.
dyke - a water wall; a wall that protects an area of dry land from water or floods
soil dykes - a water wall made out of dirt
alternative - another possible way, different from the usual way ตัวเลือก / ทางเลือก
the best alternative - the best way
permanent - happening or existing for a long time or for all time in the future ถาวร
semi-permanent - can be used for a long time (but not forever)
semi-permanent flood control
concrete barriers
immovable - cannot be moved
Mr Bird said soil dykes are the best alternative for semi-permanent flood control, as concrete barriers are immovable.
deploy - prepare a resource so that it is ready to be used
deploy technology
quickly deploy technology
Pran Siamwalla, president of the Association of Natural Disaster Prevention Industry (ANDPI), said technology must be quickly deployed.
introduce technologies - start using a new technology for some process or activity
introduce various technologies locally
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
in short supply - low supply, very few exist to be sold or used
He said the ANDPI will help introduce various technologies locally, as demand is very high and but supply is short.
pivotal - the central or most important thing or person in a situation
role - the purpose, function or influence of someone or something in a particular situation บทบาท
pivotal role - the most important role or function in some activity or situation
play a pivotal role - be an important part, do something important in some activity
orchestrating - to plan and organize a complicated event; managing, coordinating
sector - a part of the economy ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia)
private sector - all the privately-owned companies in a country (not government-owned)
The private sector still has not seen any plans from the government despite the prime minister saying one has already been finalised.
firm - a business or company บริษัท
