Wants discharge rate on Mekong managed
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) has sent an emergency notice to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS), requesting neighbouring countries in the Lower Mekong River Basin and China to carefully manage water level discharges to prevent floods.
Surasri Kidtimonton, ONWR secretary-general and deputy director of the National Water Command Centre (NWCC), said yesterday that continuous heavy rain in the lower basin has resulted in flash floods in Laos’ Bolikhamxay province.
A low-pressure trough covering southern China and northern Vietnam has caused heavy downpours across the North and Northeast of Thailand, with water levels expected to rise in the Mekong River from Thursday to Tuesday, he said.
The NWCC initially warned people living in eight provinces along the Mekong River to brace for potential flash floods, he said.
After the warning, the ONWR sent a letter to the MRCS to inform member countries, such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, of the latest water situation, urging them to prevent emergency situations stemming from floods, he said.
Mr Surasri said that the ONWR has also contacted Laos and China to urge them to carefully manage the discharge rate of dams along the Mekong River to prevent floods.
Reports from water stations along the river — in Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani — showed that current water levels are still manageable, he said.
Officials from the ONWR Region 3 have been assigned to closely observe the water situation and cooperate with local agencies to assist people who live along the major waterway during an emergency, he said.
From today to Friday, Thailand will experience heavy rainfall, which will likely cause landslides and flash floods across 16 provinces, he said, citing a weather forecast.
On Thursday, downpours hit Trat, Mukdahan, Trang, Kanchanaburi, Nan and Lop Buri, he said.
Moreover, flash floods and mudslides are expected in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nan, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Satun and Trang from today to Friday, he said.