🗞️ Good morning! I’m writing from Melbourne, where I’m attending a climate journalism training. Because of limited time last week, this issue has no event section. Heads up: The next Soi Blueprint runs Nov. 2, not Nov. 1.

🛶 ICYMI: We’re heading to Bang Mot for a half-day outing Saturday, Nov. 7. It’s full, but please join the waitlist if you’re interested.

Bangkok has received at least 1.06 million flood relief requests and approved just over 40% as of Thursday, versus 80% to 90% in other provinces.

Why it matters: Residents are rushing to district offices fearing the money will run out. Queue numbers are reportedly being sold, and some residents are taking out loans for temporary repairs.

State of play: Deputy Gov. Tavida Kamolvek said Bangkok’s mix of rentals, apartments, condos and shared addresses requires extra verification. District offices initially cleared nearly 50,000 cases a day, but the remaining ones are more complex, she said.

Between the lines: Paradorn Prissananantakul, a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, estimated relief could cost up to 10 billion baht for more than 1 million affected households. The Cabinet set aside 4.7 billion baht in September.

The bottom line: Officials said funds haven’t run out. The Cabinet approved an additional 10.5 billion baht Tuesday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Council is urging City Hall to hire more waste collectors and pay them more after flood debris topped 26,000 tons and cleanup fell behind.

Why it matters: Bangkok normally collects about 9,500 tons of trash a day. Flood debris has added more than 26,000 tons since Sept. 28. Limited crews, trucks and equipment left backlogs in some areas.

What they’re saying: Councilors say staffing is the biggest gap. Sai Mai has about 300 collectors for more than 100,000 homes, its councilor said, roughly the same headcount as in 1997.

The gap: They also said the city’s roughly 15,000 collectors are underpaid for physically demanding, hazardous work. Monthly pay ranges from 8,690 baht for entry-level city employees to 13,000 baht for temporary collectors and 34,110 baht for truck drivers.

Service gap: The city targets daily pickup on main roads and at least twice a week inside alleys, but seven districts are below 90% of that target, Deputy Gov. Pornphrom Vikitsreth said.

The other side: Collectors also receive overtime and bonuses, averaging about 2,199 baht a person. Deputy Gov. Tavida Kamolvej said the budget limits pay increases.

By the numbers: The city spends about 7 billion baht a year on waste management and collects about 500 million baht in trash fees, roughly 7% of that cost.

Big picture: Bangkok’s flagship program aims to sort trash at the source. However, some councilors say the program isn’t working because it has no accountability mechanism for residents. The city also has no legal authority to refuse collection.

What’s next: The city is drafting a rule to raise pay for community volunteers who haul trash out of narrow alleys, a bottleneck in flood cleanup. Pay would double from 150 baht a day to as much as 300 baht, or 75 baht an hour, to attract more volunteers.

A new city-backed contest asks owners of malls, offices and other private property to open up their green space to the public.

Why it matters: The city said this contest will bring green space closer to homes.

Context: Researchers estimated Bangkok would need nearly 1,000 years at its current growth rate to reach the World Health Organization’s benchmark of 10 square meters of green space per person.

State of play: The POPS Award, short for privately owned public space, seeks gardens, plazas, walkways and event spaces ranging from under 1,000 square meters to more than 6,000 square meters.

Zooming in: Judges score it out of 100 across five areas: climate comfort, accessibility, well-being, ecology and social vibrancy.

What’s next: Winners get a badge, a spot on a Bangkok POPS map and development coaching from the program’s partners like WePark. Top scorers also get priority matching with event hosts. Tax incentives are still under study.

Bangkok has more than 179,000 cats and dogs and eight city animal clinics. The Bangkok Metropolitan Council is weighing a first city-run pet hospital.

Why it matters: The existing clinics offer only primary care services such as vaccinations, microchipping and sterilization. They don’t handle major procedures, including treating accident injuries, abuse or complex diseases.

What they’re saying: Lat Krabang Councilor Surachit Pongsingwittaya, who proposed the study, suggested piloting small hospitals on the city’s east and west sides to widen access, curb rabies and reduce strays.

The other side: Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said it’s unclear whether Bangkok has legal authority to treat animals beyond disease control. He suggested partnering with Chulalongkorn and Kasetsart universities, which run veterinary programs.

What’s next: The committee has 150 days, until March 20, to study operations, partners, services and prices.

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority plans to lease 800 more electric buses for about 8.1 billion baht, on top of the 1,520 coming next year.

Why it matters: The agency said the added buses would meet service demand for seven to 10 years.

By the numbers: The 800 buses would bring the planned electric fleet to 2,320. Adding 700 to 800 NGV buses would push the total above 3,000.

What’s next: The first batch of the 1,520 is expected in March. The agency has acknowledged delays are likely while it upgrades depots to be EV-ready. It’s also waiting on a new board, expected to be appointed in November.

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