Flood waters continue to pose threat to Bangkok. Thailand and its capital Bangkok are experiencing the worst floods in half a century, as water inundates villages, historic temples, farms, and factories. [08.11.11]
Prof. Cadisch director of the Tropenzentrum is analysing the anthropogenic causes of the flooding catastrophe in an interview with WDR 5.
Asked for the causes of the extreme floodings in Thailand, Cadisch explains that the yearly monoon rains poured heavyly especially at the end of the rainy season, when dams and soils were already completely saturated with water. Unfortunately the dams were not opened at time to give space for the succeeding water masses. However, Cadisch also analyses the anthropogenic causes of the natural desaster, long before the rains were pouring down: extreme land use changes in the northern, mountaineous regions of Thailand. The deforestation of the slopy hills, replacing forest with intensive annual cropping systems such as maize led to soil degradation and thus reduced infiltration rates of the soils. Rain water is rushing down on the intensively used slopes of the mountaineous regions instead of slowy infiltrating into the soils and thus remainig in the area. Prof. Cadisch suggests a new aproach in land use with permament cropping systems on the slopy hills, a better integration of animal ranging into the agricultural system, and soil conservation measures such as legumes as intermediate crops and minmum soil cultivation practises.
