Venice of the East

Looking back, my life in Bangkok/Krung Thep was always canal/water centric. My little (garden) house in Nonthaburi on the side of a khlong the most natural and comfortable one of them all. But a road construction in early 2000's disturbed that peace and brought the traffic pollution I had to work in during the day closer. I used to take visiting friends and family on a trip down some of Bangkok's last remaining canals using regular public transport bus-boats and long-tail-boats.

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, The Great City of Angels/Godesses (Bangkok) used to be called the Venice of the East. Because of its many canals constructed since 15th century (khlong/klong = canal). It was the main means of transporting goods and people.

In fact today's Chao Phya river in front of the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Nonthaburi aren't pieces of river but canals which shortened/straightened the river.

As Krung Thep grew since the 16th century so did the canals. It wasn't until 1900 when foreign ambassadors complained about the lack of roads for their horse carriages that serious roads began to be built. But with every road often a parallel canal was dug. For agriculture and transport many communities dug local canals over the centuries.

To ensure water reached the Rangsit canals (large scale agriculture for export) and other areas the Siamese government hired in 1903 the Dutch hydraulics engineer Homan van der Heide. He proposed to dam the Chao Phraya River 160km north and divert water into a network of canals. Due to cost and two World Wars his dam was only completed in the 1960's.

After WW1 some canals began to be filled and converted to roads, but just a few, and still other canals were dug. Following WW2 in the 1950's Krung Thep had about 100 major canals and 1 million people living in the city. There were thousands of smaller canals.

But with an increase in population growth in the 1960's and 1970's the city planning started to focus more on roads. More canals were converted to roads under American influence following the Vietnam War. An inventory in 2019 showed only about 1700 canals remained. Many in poor condition and having become more like sewers and drainage systems. With an increased population (today estimated 11 million, likely more) and now known as one of the world's most congested cities the city government now promotes reinstating the use of canals. With the 500 deaths in 2011 flooding and the realisation that a dryer Krung Thep results in the city sinking at 2cm per year it seems to be realised that the canals are to be respected and perhaps reinstated somewhat.

Although a return to canal centric transport seems unlikely and maybe its a bit too little too late, new water treatment plants and the 2021-2025 construction of Klong Chong Nonsi canal park are certainly positives honouring the old nickname Venice of the East.

Did you know the official name of Bangkok is the longest city name in the world.

กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตนราชธานีบูรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

=

The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma.