Khlong Saen Saep (, ) is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

''(

khlong A ''khlong'' (, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a canal in Thailand. These canals are spawned by the rivers Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Mae Klong, along with their tributaries particularly in the low-lying areas of ce ...

)'' in

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by the Phetchabun Mount ...

, connecting the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

to Prachinburi Province and

Chachoengsao Chachoengsao (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, capital of Chachoengsao Province. It is on the banks of the Bang Pakong River. It includes ''tambon'' Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian, and Sothon ...

. A portion of the canal is used for public transport by an express boat service in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. The 72 km long canal passes through 21 districts and is connected to more than 100 smaller canals.

History

The Saen Saep Canal was built on the order of

King Rama III Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving son of King Rama II ...

during a conflict between Siam and Annam over

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

in order to establish water transport for soldiers and weapons. Construction began in 1837 and cost 96,000 Baht. Construction was finished in three years. Klong Saen Saep was once filled with lotus plants. King Mongkut, Rama IV (1851-1868) built Sa Pathum Palace (Lotus Pond Palace) in Siam District. The name of the palace and present-day

Pathum Wan District Pathum Wan (, ) is one of the Districts of Bangkok, fifty districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It lies just beyond the old city boundary of Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem and was a rural area on the eastern outskirts of the city when royal vill ...

are derived from it. The Saen Saep starts from Maha Nak Canal (Khlong Maha Nak) () at Ban Krua on the border of Ratchathewi and Pathum Wan Districts. In Chachoengsao Province it ends in the

Bang Pakong River The Bang Pakong (, , ) is a river in east Thailand. The river originates at the confluence of the Phra Prong River and the Hanuman River near Kabin Buri District, Kabin Buri, Prachinburi Province. It empties after 231 kilometres into the Gulf of ...

Environmental

The Saen Saep Canal is one of Bangkok's major drainage arteries. It is also heavily polluted. In 2015, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha initiated a two-year effort to clean up the canal in 2017–2018. A survey by the Pollution Control Department (PCD) inspected 631 buildings and residences beside the canal, concluding that there were 412 sources of pollution, including 62 hospitals, 107 restaurants, 14 markets, 66 hotels, 144 condominiums, 81 department stores, and 157 homes. Between October 2015 and January 2017, the department inspected 210 of the potential polluters and found that 40 percent of hotels, 23 percent of hospitals, 20 percent of department stores, and 50 percent of condominiums discharged waste water into the canal in contravention of existing laws. The department charged the 49 worst offenders with illegally discharging wastewater into a public watercourse. Those charged must pay a 2,000 baht daily fine until they fix waste management problems and halt illegal discharges. The remaining 363 establishments were ordered to improve wastewater treatment standards. The PCD refused to reveal the identity of the polluters. To maintain the cleanliness of the canal Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Surasak Kanjanarat proposed charging waste water treatment fees to households and tourists. "If we do nothing, all rivers and canals in the next 20 years will be completely ruined. And if you are not ready to pay now, you might have to pay more in the future.", he said. The PCD recommended that the charge should be 0.43 baht per cubic metre. This would bring in 5.3 billion

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

per year. Plans have been made to charge each tourist 50 baht for waste water treatment which will bring in an additional 1.5 billion baht of revenue each year, assuming 29.9 million tourists, the number who visited in 2016. The PCD intends to study wastewater treatment in an additional 21 districts with sub-canals linked to the Saen Saep Canal. In June 2019, the PCD reported that the water quality of the canal has improved due to its efforts. No BOD figures were reported to corroborate this claim. PCD's latest survey of discharges into the canal identified 720 pollution sources along the canal's length. At least 253 of these sources face fines of 2,000 baht per day until the wastewater is treated properly before being discharged.

Transport

An express boat service operates on the Saen Saep between Pom Prap Sattru Phai and Bang Kapi Districts, providing ferry service in traffic-congested central

. The service has a checkered reputation, due to the polluted water in the khlong and the slapdash nature of the service. The northern line ends at Golden Mount, and the southern line ends at NIDA. Boats go past Watthana and Huai Khwang Districts, running parallel to Petchaburi Road.

References

External links

Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat

Pollution Control Department
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125082018/http://www.pcd.go.th/indexEng.cfm , date=2017-01-25 Saen Saep Canals opened in 1840 Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok