⛅ Good morning! “We keep drowning to save Bangkok,” Ayutthaya residents say as they plead for flood relief. Venice agrees to work with Bangkok on multiple issues. Also, the Vegetarian Festival is here; check out things to do.

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A parliamentary committee investigating the Samsen Road sinkhole reported the cracked Purple Line tunnel has shifted 25 meters eastward, expanding the danger zone.

Why it matters: The committee warned that the road surface above this newly shifted section could also collapse, posing a fatal risk to commuters.

The other side: The Mass Rapid Transit Authority denied the damage is expanding, but this contradicts a statement made last week by the agency’s own construction director.

Driving the news: Lawmakers are blasting the MRTA and its contractors for a lack of transparency, threatening legal action, saying the companies have refused to testify despite repeated invitations.

The bottom line: The public is urged to avoid the area entirely. The committee said it has alerted the city and is pushing for more independent, non-governmental experts to join the official probe.

Update 10/20/2025: Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt also denied that the tunnel is moving, saying the claims may stem from miscommunication.

🔎 Here’s a Sinkhole recap.

Bangkok is setting clear licensing and maintenance standards for the thousands of coin-operated water dispensers citywide under a local ordinance introduced last week.

Why it matters: Currently, no clear rules govern hygiene or water quality, leaving some machines rusty with unchanged filters.

The draft ordinance’s key provisions include:

Big picture: Consumer groups have pushed for such rules for years. Advocates found that more than 90% of dispensers in the city lack a proper license. City officials disputed this, putting the figure at 3.2%.

Between the lines: The city’s hazardous-business ordinance already licenses water-machine operators but lacks clear water-quality and testing standards because it covers dozens of business types.

By the numbers: There are 2,735 registered coin-operated water dispensers in Bangkok, according to the city.

What’s next: A committee is expected to finalize the draft within two weeks. In the meantime, district offices have been ordered to take legal action against known unlicensed operators.

Extra: The city’s move coincides with the Ministry of Public Health’s efforts to issue its own national regulations for water dispensers, which are expected to be finalized within two months.

The city council is reviewing a 2018 ordinance on businesses deemed “hazardous” to health, which governs everything from water dispensers and car washers to spas and cloud kitchens.

Why it matters: The term “hazardous” is broad under the ordinance without measurable standards for noise, air quality, labor safety and other impacts. It also doesn’t account for newer business models.

Big picture: The current 13 categories of “hazardous” businesses cover not just industrial sites but also many common neighborhood businesses such as gyms, computer shops, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors and repair garages.

What to watch: The council suggested the end goal might be to replace the single ordinance with up to 13 new, separate regulations targeting specific business categories.

What’s next: The committee will study the gaps and report recommendations within 90 days.

Residents and city councilors are calling on the administration to inspect and repair small neighborhood canal bridges, warning they pose a daily safety hazard.

Why it matters: The bridges’ steep inclines create dangerous blind spots, forcing motorbike riders to accelerate up one side without seeing who’s coming from the opposite direction.

The intrigue: Because some of these bridges were built by residents themselves decades ago, it’s often unclear who’s responsible for a specific bridge. A Khlong Sam Wa councilor said she once had to pay for repairs herself since she couldn’t find the responsible entity.

What’s next: Deputy Gov. Wisanu Subsompon said the city will hire a firm to survey all city-managed bridges. For excessively steep bridges, he explained a repair is often not enough as a whole construction is needed, complicating the process.

The Ministry of Transport approved a plan to allow taxis to add a surcharge during peak hours, with the new fee system potentially starting in December.

Why it matters: The move aims to address the problem of taxi drivers rejecting passengers by compensating them for trips during heavy traffic or late at night.

The details: The new charge of about 10-20 baht would apply during rush hour traffic, after 9 p.m., or during heavy rain. Officials said this isn’t a change to the standard 35-baht starting fare structure.

Big picture: This is part of a broader modernization effort to introduce new GPS-based digital taxi meter systems, which calculate fares more accurately and transparently, officials said.

What’s next: The Department of Land Transport expects to finalize this by December. As older taxis are decommissioned, all new taxis entering the fleet will be required to use the new system.

Bangkok will soon enter its annual PM 2.5 season. The pollution spike is a dual problem: local emissions get trapped by temperature inversion, while smoke from agricultural burning adds a layer of regional smog.

The details: In winter, meteorological conditions create a trap for pollutants. A layer of cool air near the ground gets capped by a layer of warmer air above it.

Yes, but… The season also coincides with biomass burning, a major contributor to PM 2.5 levels across the country. This includes the burning of agricultural waste from crops to quickly and cheaply clear the land for the next planting cycle.

What to watch: For the first time, the city has been designated a “pollution control zone,” empowering it to create local regulations without coordinating with other state agencies.

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