Flash flooding in Nakhon Nayok after sudden discharge from dam

Hotels caught off guard, urgent reminder for river residents

The Water level in the Nakhon Nayok River was still rising in Muang district in Nakhon Nayok province on Monday. (Photo: @Ruamduay X account)
In Muang region of Nakhon Nayok state on Monday, the liquid level was still rising in the river. ( Photo: @Ruamduay X account )

After Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam started releasing waters without any previous notice, the city of Nakhon Nayok and its resort locations experienced rapid flooding on Monday.

The provincial public relations company reported on Monday that several areas along the Nakhon Nayok River in the Muang city were flooded, and that there were also reports of inundation at hotels close to the bridge and along the creek banks.

Around 2 a.m., Ruam Katanyu Foundation volunteers ‘ Nakhon Nakhon branch’s Nakhon Nakhon unit received calls about rising water oozing into homes and villas.

According to reports, resort individual Singha Butamkha claimed that the area was flooded after midnight by water from the dam. There had been no advance notice, he said.

Around 20 customers had to move quickly to a secure location after packing their bags. Some vehicles were damaged by the disaster, he added.

The Nakhon Nayok River, which passes through the counties of Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, and Chachoengsao, merges with the Bang Pakong River after being merged with it by Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam.

People living upstream of the bridge were notified on Monday that a sizable amount of water was moving and that they may relocate their valuables to higher floor, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department’s Nakhon Nayok office. The Nakhon Nayok River’s liquid level was in a critical state, it added.