Over 1,000 remain homeless after slum inferno last month
More than 1,000 Klong Toei slum dwellers remain homeless after a fire destroyed as many as 200 homes in the community in the middle of last month.
Some are living underneath a tenement block while others have constructed temporary shelters underneath a nearby expressway. All are eager to return and rebuild their homes. But first they have to get permission from the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) which owns the Klong Toei land. There are about 500 homes in the four-rai Lock 1 section of the slum. "The PAT is ready to permit people to rebuild homes on the land. It is just waiting for them to a send in letters asking for permission," the authority's property office assistant chief Yongyuth Chamchoi said. Slum-community leader Boonchoy Kongson said victims of the fire pooled the Bt30,000 in cash each household received as compensation from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation - into a fund for new homes. The fund totals Bt2.38 million. About 30 soldiers are clearing the land. Boonchoy said after unofficial talks with the authority about 105 families would be allowed to rebuild. "We are worried about another 160 families who were to be included in an authority census but were missed because of the fire," he said. The Human Development Foundation (HDF) is helping with plans for the rebuilding. Once completed, new 30-square-metre homes will occupy about three rai. The HDF's plan will be submitted to the authority for approval, and the department will manage reconstruction. The HDF will also donate foundations. Slum resident Rai Khoruam-klang, 57, said her home was totally destroyed. It was near the seat of the fire. She and her family are now living under the tenement block. "We have to live with rats and cockroaches, bad smells from drains and loud noise from trucks all night. We cannot sleep," she said. "We want to return as soon as possible." Klong Toei District has provided portable toilets. District director Duengporn Wattakawanich said there were problems with blocked drains, smell and dirt. On Monday, police arrested a couple who owned the home where the fire allegedly started. Worathep srirojjanarat, 50, and his wife Nongluk Malithong, 45, were accused of negligently leaving a ceiling fan on.
Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong The Nation
|
