PM wants flood listed on national agenda

As he considers including disaster reduction as a national plan product, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has ordered all organizations to work together to prevent storms during this year’s rainy season.

Following a meeting with high-ranking government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow, Secretary-General of the Office of the National Water Resources ( ONWR ) Surasee Kittimonthon, and governor of Bangkok Chadchart Sittipunt, the meeting took place yesterday.

The prime minister received updates on the most recent rainfall and flood events in the nation, the country’s recent rainfall and flooding condition, and the country’s program to assist those affected by natural disasters.

” I’d like all sectors to cooperate and determine a clear time frame]for action ] and establish a clear KPI]key performance indicator ]”, Mr Srettha said.

Given the rising amount of rain over the upcoming weeks, particularly around Bangkok, storms are also a possibility, according to ONWR Secretary-general Surasee.

Capt. Thamanat remarked that the present leadership has not yet developed a plan for handling situations involving floods.

He urged the government to establish a center for such crises in every place, a recommendation that Mr. Srettha welcomed as part of the government’s plan.

The prime minister suggested that national agenda items like floods and another weather-related issues, such as dryness, would help with better long-term planning.

” During the rainy season, which may persist over the next three months, the most important thing is to develop unification in our co-operation”, he said.

” We are aware that storms occur every month, but we must minimize their impact as much as we can,” he said.

Mr. Srettha said there is still the need to have health materials prepared in the case of an incident despite his pleadings to speak no reports of widespread flooding this year.

Storms with the potential to cause storms can still be expected in August and September, according to ONWR assistant secretary-general Paitoon Kengkarnchang.

He claimed that ample preparations will enable the government to properly deal with disasters.