Acting governor Dr. Pusadee Tamthai delivered the opening speech for this year’s annual Mahanakorn 3 training program, for both top-level private sector and government officials supported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority. Mahanakorn 3 will be the third annual training of its kind. The training program aims to improve overall resiliency of the Bangkok metropolitan area, moreover the training will be focused on the disaster risk reduction approach.

In her opening speech, Dr. Pusadee called upon participants to strive for a better, more livable Bangkok metropolitan area. As top-level officials, it is the responsibility of participants to ensure that Bangkok become synonymous with environmental sustainability, cleanliness, healthiness and safety she stated. Dr. Pusadee added that participants could achieve this if they shared their experiences and sought to learn from one another.

Former Bangkok governor, and President of Navamindradhiraj University, Dr. Bhichit Rattakul delivered the course introduction. In his introduction Dr. Bhichit stated that Bangkok consists of over four million homes housing over ten million people on only a 1500 square kilometer area of land. As such Bangkok is a densely populated and vulnerable metropolitan area. Nonetheless, Bangkok is aiming to achieve the status of a 'safety city' that is a city resilient to disasters, natural or man-made.

Dr. Rattakul listed eight classifications of hazards that could lead to disaster situations including toxic waste, fire, seismic activity, storm surges, flooding, subsidence, communicable diseases and criminal activity. Over the course of the training program, participants will be introduced to both Thai and foreign professionals that will share their skills and experience. Experts from ADPC will provide technical guidance in the curriculum development for the training. Of the hundred participants attending, all are influential officials with prominent leadership roles, Dr. Bhichit stated. By working together he had confidence that participants could build a culture of resiliency in Bangkok.