Another community falls for river promenade
Demolition of riverside homes in Bangkok’s Wat Thewarat Kunchorn community began on Wednesday, the latest area to be cleared to make way for the controversial “Chao Phraya for All” promenade.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) workers are pulling down the mainly wooden structures along Soi Sri Ayutthaya 21 in Dusit district.
Told that their homes were illegally encroaching onto the river, the owners and tenants have agreed to move elsewhere.
Nine piers and 273 homes in 14 communities along both sides of the river are targeted for demolition.
Five communities were cleared in July – two in Dusit, two in Bang Plat and one in Bang Sue.
Construction of the promenade is to begin next month, with the first phase covering 14 kilometres. Touted as a tourist attraction, it has drawn criticism from city residents as being little more than a broad concrete pathway that will intrude into the river further than any existing homes, possibly impeding waterborne traffic.
