The Phadung Krung Kasem Canal in central Bangkok is set to receive a major facelift as the city administration goes ahead with the landscaping project by removing structures protruding onto the canals.

The project, which aims to provide more footpath space for pedestrians and tidy up vending zones along the canal, was supervised by the deputy governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Jakkapan Phiewngam, on Tuesday.

Jakkapan said the removal of protruding structures has started from the area in Pathum Wan district, and the city has notified all vendors and residents in the area to temporarily relocate to facilitate the landscaping.

There are currently 719 vendors operating along the 5.5km-long Phadung Krung Kasem Canal, 534 of whom are in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, 110 in Pathum Wan and 75 in Dusit district. After tidying up and rezoning, the canal will be able to accommodate 692 vendors.

Jakkapan said the BMA has allocated vending spaces at its markets or private properties to vendors who have expressed interest to leave Phadung Krung Kasem.

Pom Prap Sattru Phai district chief added that the city’s Department of Public Works had been negotiating with vendors in Bo Bae and Maha Nak markets for over half a year to relocate or move out of the areas to facilitate the landscaping, and most of them have cooperated without any problem.

The vendors in the two markets also agreed to stop setting up their shops and/or leaving garbage on footpaths, which is one of the topics on which the BMA has received the most number of complaints from the public, he added.

The Pathum Wan district chief, meanwhile, said that 32 vendors in his district had been found to have built structures protruding onto the canal. After negotiations, all of them agreed to remove the encroaching structures.

The landscaping project along the canal was also monitored 24/7 by officials from the City Law Enforcement Department to ensure that no vendors were breaking the laws, and public order was maintained. Twenty-two units of officials have been deployed in three shifts daily: 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm, and 10pm-6am.

“District chiefs are key personnel in negotiating with vendors along the canal to relocate to new zones or move out permanently” said Jakkapan. “The city has been working on this front for some time by showing them the importance of improving the canal landscape and reorganising vending areas. We also showed the vendors our future development plans to help them plan their business accordingly.”