Here is a string of sand-barges being towed downstream to Bangkok from a sand mining operation up near the ancient city of Ayutthaya. A lot of sand is required in Bangkok for the production of concrete which is the main material used in the building construction industry.
Numerous old buildings, on rickety wooden stilts, line both banks and spill out onto the water. There is talk of reclaiming some sections of bank to create a long walkway, so pedestrians can regain some lost access to the river, but there has not been a lot of apparent progress.