Asian Network of Major Cities (ANMC 21)
Flood and Storm Surge Control Training Report
In January, 2011, the ANMC 21 held a Flood and Storm Surge Control Training in Tokyo.
1. Purpose
The cities of Asia struggle with considerable damage from floods each year. This training session
sought to use equipment and exercises to provide participants from each city with advanced
examples drawn from Tokyo’s accumulated knowledge and experience, thereby contributing topreparedness for the floods and high water levels that Asian cities face.

2. Organizers
International Affairs Division, Headquarters of the Governor of TokyoRiver Division, Bureau of Construction

3. Dates
January 25th (Tue.) to 27th (Thu.) 2011
4. Participants
4 participants from 2 cities (Bangkok, Singapore)
Mr. Vichai Somboon(Chief of Project Management Sub-Division, Bangkok Department of Drainage and Sewerage)

Mr. Surart Jaroenchaisakul(Chief of Main System Drainage Development, Sub-Division 3, Bangkok Department of Drainage andSewerage)

Ms. Hua Chie Nan Dorinda(Senior Engineer, Singapore Catchment and Waterways Department, PUB)

Ms. Loh Yee Wen(Engineer, Singapore Catchment and Waterways Department, PUB)

5. Training Details●Day 1○Orientation Session
The orientation consisted of greetings from senior director of the River Division and Senior Director in
charge of International Joint Projects, and a guidance speech by the senior staff of the River Division.
○Presentations by the ParticipantsParticipants from Bangkok and Singapore each made 15-minute presentations on the flood controlissues faced by their cities. An animated question-and-answer session took place between Bangkok,
Singapore, and Tokyo, enhancing each city’s awareness of shared problems in preparation for thepanels to follow.
Bangkok: With measures currently being taken to increase flood control
around the Chao Praya River, the participants from Bangkok
reported the following:
Although the north region of Thailand is prone to large-scale
flood damage, major damage has not been seen in Bangkok inrecent years due to the control measures of (1) levee installationand (2) lowered river levels.
An emergency response team is readied during times of flooding.
Weather and flooding problems are managed in unison.
Singapore: Participants from Singapore reported the following:
The low elevation of the region has resulted in urban waterdamage.
Despite urbanization, rainwater drainage systems havedecreased flood areas.
Reinforcement of flood control is being carried out around a
redevelopment plan.

○Tokyo’s Flood and Storm Surge Control (Hard and Soft Countermeasures, Sewer Projects)
A panel was held about Tokyo’s countermeasures in response to Floods and Storm Surges. The River
Division discussed super levees and Flood Regulating Reservoirs, while the Bureau of Sewerage
introduced sewer flood controls.
Participants from Bangkok asked questions about construction
management and the connection to private businesses, stating that
construction of levees integrated with the surrounding environment
is an important issue to their city, and that they are interested insuper levees that blend in with surroundings.
Participants from Singapore also showed a great interest in theSuper levees, and asked numerous questions about the forecasting
systems for floods.
Between panels, an explanation was given demonstrating theforecasting systems for floods, etc., and participants from eachcity showed great interest as they busily took notes while viewing
the system displays.

●Day 2: Observation（1）Sumida River Super Levee
Observation took place at the super levee described in the panel ofthe first day. Viewing the site, participants asked questions
regarding maintenance and operation methods.

（2）Kanda River Ochanomizu Bypass
Observation was held at the Ochanomizu bypass, wherewater is divided under the street to prevent flooding.
Participants asked about project details and maintenancemethods.

（3）Meguro River Ebara Regulating Reservoir
Observation took place at a Regulating Reservoir situated under commercial land containing public
housing and other facilities so as to make efficient use of land. Participants asked questions about
operation methods during floods and monitoring during normal conditions. Observation of thestructure, which evokes images of an archaeological site as it stretches four levels underground,proved to be a memorable experience.

（4）Kanda River/ Loop Road No. 7 Underground Regulating Reservoir

Observation took place at aRegulating Reservoir situated toreduce water damage around thelower reaches of the Kanda River.
The reservoir is located some 40
meters below the highway, withtunnels of 12.5 meters in diameter and a total length of 4.5 kilometers, enabling the reservoir todrain water from the 3 rivers of the lower Kanda River area and greatly reduce water damage. Afterobserved underground reservoir, an explanation was given about control room operation of water
intake and drainage, and the monitoring system. The participants showed interest in theconstruction methods and planning scale.

●Day 3:
○Observation（1）Ryogoku Pump Station
Observation took place at theRyogoku Pump Station supervisedby the Bureau of Sewerage, wherepart of the rainwater that falls in
the Sumida and Koto wards isdrained into the Sumida River inorder to prevent flood damage.
Participants viewedrainwater
pumps capable of draining a 25 meter pool in approximately six seconds. Due to the problems
experienced in Bangkok and Singapore with garbage clogging drainage pumps questions werecentered around the filtration system allowing rainwater to flow in.
（2）Inner Koto River
Participants boarded a boat toobserve the triangular Koto Deltaarea, which has been the source ofmany disasters due to sunken land
elevations being generally below thehigh water level. The observation wasa rare chance to view by boat
examples of earthquake-reinforced riverbanks and installations to make the river more accessible
to residents, as well as a lock gate showing the difference in water levels. The participants fromBangkok, where new installations are being made on the Chao Phraya river, viewed the river
construction site and asked detailed questions about construction methods for river installations inTokyo.

○Closing Ceremony
At the end of the ceremony, each participant was given acertificate of completion. A participant commented, “The
networking achieved through the training was a great opportunity.
I’d like to keep in touch with everyone who was involved in thetraining, and continue to gain knowledge about flood control.”Another remarked, “I was impressed with how quickly anddirectly the city staff was able to respond to our questions.”

6. Results(1) Bangkok is improving flood control measures around the lower regions of the Chao Phraya River.
Having shown great interest in installations blended in with the urban landscape, such as super levees
and the terraces of the Inner Koto River, participants from Bangkok inquired about dispatchingtechnicians to further study these methods.
(2) Participants from Singapore, where strong rain causes water damage in urban areas, showedinterest in Tokyo’s forecasting systems for floods and drainage methods for urban areas.
(3)Over the three days of the training, participants from Bangkok, Singapore, and Tokyo increased theirshared understanding of flood and storm surge control methods, and formed a network between theengineers of the participating cities.