Although fares on Bangkok’s khlong boats have gone up since the recent canal disaster on March 5, where an engine on a commuter boat on Saen Saep canal exploded injuring 60 people, most passengers see it as a fair price for a safer journey.
“After the explosion, I was worried about using the boat. But I feel happier now the fuel has changed,” said Arm, a recruitment consultant who uses the service every day between Asoke and Bankapi.
Tickets have gone up by THB1 per stop after boats were ordered to run on diesel only instead of a mixture of LNG and diesel, the money-saving measure believed to have caused the explosion. Signs have been posted at jetties reassuring passengers of the safer fuel usage.
The commuter boat whose engine exploded on Saen Saeb canal. Photo: National News Bureau of Thailand
But if khlong boats want to stay popular as a fast and cheap way to avoid Bangkok’s gridlock, both safety improvements, as promised by Marine Department deputy director-general Nat Chubchai following the explosion, and a cleanup of the canal, are much needed.
Convenience
Built in the late 1830s by Chinese and Laotian workers to move troops and weapons amid Siam’s conflict with Anman (modern-day Vietnam), the canal’s name “Saen Saep” comes from the “100,000 stings” experienced by the workers as they toiled in mosquito-ridden conditions.
Once infamous for its flourishing sex trade on floating brothels in the early twentieth century, abolished in the 1960s, the canal is today notorious for its seriously polluted waters.
For some, the noisy, smelly and potentially dangerous khlong express boat doesn’t measure up to the smooth air-conditioned comfort of the Skytrain and MRT.
But for the estimated 60,000 and 100,000 passengers who travel on the express boats every day between Pan Fa Leelard and Bangkapi, the boats are convenient and fast as they bypass Bangkok’s dreadful traffic.
“It’s simply faster than taking the car,” said Dental Public Health lecturer Kittithach, whose comments were echoed by many locals.
Canal boat on Saen Saeb canal. Photo: Flickr user Mark Fischer
The khlong boat service, which begins at 5.30am and continues until 8.30pm (7pm on weekends), is an important part of the city’s developing transport infrastructure.
Tickets cost no more than THB20 on the route, which covers many useful destinations from Sukhumvit to Khao San Road, with Petchaburi, National Stadium, CentralWorld and Siam a short walk from the khlong’s many stops.
Khlong boats are popular with visitors too. Honeymooning backpackers Guillaume and Catherine told Coconuts they loved the juxtaposition of gleaming high-rise buildings and traditional older ways of life. They were brave negotiating the evening rush hour with two enormous rucksacks, but were rewarded with experiencing a hidden side to the city that they would not have seen by using other transport routes.
Bettahar, 72, from France, said she loved the busy atmosphere of the boat and that she felt safer than she would if she was in a taxi. As she said goodbye, it was heartwarming to see her being helped into the rocking, crowded boat by fellow commuters and concerned boat staff.
Cleaning up
The polluted waters are a big drawback of traveling by Bangkok’s khlongs, and passengers are often seen covering their eyes and clutching the plastic sheeting along the sides of the boats to shield themselves from the filthy splash-back.
Tara Buakamsri, the Thailand country director for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, told Coconuts the pollution is mainly caused by untreated sewage flowing from households along the khlongs.
Splashback during khlong boat ride. Photo: Flickr user Jonathan
He added that industrial toxins are also released from factories along the banks, albeit in smaller quantities, and can be potentially much more harmful than the human waste.
“Thailand has some of the best laws protecting waterways in Southeast Asia, but these need to be enforced,” Tara said, explaining that although the law includes the famed “the polluter pays” principle, it remains hard to identify who the polluters actually are.
Last year the government ordered a cleanup of the canal, promising THB6.8 billion to tackle the discharge of untreated waste water, landscape the banks, build cycle lanes and install CCTV cameras.
Upgrades on jetties have already been carried out, including widening them to cope with foot traffic, extra staff and cameras, and bilingual signage.
Tara said he hoped the government would also educate communities about looking after the khlong and empower them to speak out when environmental laws are violated.
A canal for the 21st century?
If the environmental upgrade continues, Khlong Saen Saep could become a valuable green asset for local communities to be proud of.
It’s now possible to walk, jog or cycle along much of the tow-path of the canal. Boxes of flowering plants are appearing along the route, and a clean-up boat has been spotted scooping up larger debris, making the khlong an increasingly pleasant place.
Pleasant vegetation lines many parts of the canal. Photo: Ewen Mcleish
Looking further ahead, as Greenpeace points out, climate change is set to cause sea levels to rise, making the khlong and similar waterways vital in managing water levels in low-lying Bangkok. This adds another motive for safeguarding the canal for the future.
As Ridwan Quaium at the Thailand Accident Research Centre, Asian Institute of Technology, told the Bangkok Post in 2013, investment in more modern boats is also needed, with safer, more comfortable energy-efficient vessels.
While headline-grabbing new skytrain routes are also needed, like the Purple Line Skytrain that launches later this year, the waterways from Bangkok’s past also have a role to play in getting and keeping this city moving.
Ewen Mcleish is an educator and freelance writer who follows sustainability issues in Thailand. Check out his blog Sustainable Living Thailand or Facebook page on the same theme.
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