The three-kilometre stretch of beach in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, is to be widened to about 35 metres via a THB 430 million sand-fill project, reports The Nation. This measure is both to prevent erosion as well as boost income from tourists visiting the seaside resort town.
Involving 36,000 cubic metres of sand, the extension work is expected to begin in October and will take around two years. The first 15 metres of the new beach would involve a sandbag wall to serve as an embankment, while the remaining 20 metres would be comprised of sand.
The new beachfront will stretch for 2.7 kilometres and cover around 60 rai, encompassing North, Central and South Pattaya beaches.
Apart from the Marine Department, Pattaya City has hired the Aquatic Resources Research Institute, under Chulalongkorn University, as a project adviser. The project has currently passed the Environment Impact Assessment, and is undergoing a bidding process.
When completed, the beach extension project is expected to revamp the image of Pattaya as a resort town with clean beaches and white sand, making it more attractive. It should also have the potential to draw 10 million tourists during the inaugural year of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.
