A secret weapon from Thailand that can change the future of Mumbai
Thursday, March 12, 2020 IST
A secret weapon from Thailand that can change the future of Mumbai
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Sinking future
According to the report approved by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if carbon emissions go unchecked sea levels will rise by at least 1 m by 2100. It will lead to submerging of many cities like Mumbai and Bangkok.
Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters.
Thailand's secret weapon
But Thailand does have a secret weapon in its battle to negate the impact of a hotter planet: renowned architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom who preaches mindful development over mindless construction.
No one can accuse the Harvard graduate of resting on her laurels: She made her name showing how the effects of climate change can be mitigated by ensuring the issue is at the heart of city planning.
Architecture for future
Kotchakorn Voraakhom and her firm Landprocess created the internationally acclaimed Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, an 11-acre (4 hectares) space in central Bangkok, which tilts downward at a three-degree angle, allowing rainwater to flow through the flanking grass and wetlands.
Water that's not absorbed by the plants runs down to a pond at the base of the park, where it can be stored and filtered for use during dry spells or released gradually. In cases of severe flooding, the park can hold up to a million gallons of water.
A turning point
A turning point came in 2011, when Thailand endured its worst floods in half a century, which left more than 800 dead nationwide with hundreds of thousands displaced. Bangkok, built on once-marshy land and surrounded by natural waterways, was hard hit.
Then came the World Bank warning that 40 percent of it would be inundated by 2030.
An additional challenge
Driving change as a woman in a patriarchal society has been an additional challenge, but Kotchakorn insists there is "power" in being different, particularly in an industry dominated by older men offering only "conventional ways of thinking".
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