Flood risk with dam to up discharge

Areas along Chao Phraya warned

A barge collects garbage from a canal to prevent it from clogging the water pump station in Phra Khanong, the biggest such facility in Bangkok. It is the final pump station for canals and is vital to the city’s water drainage. City Hall has urged residents not to throw rubbish, including discarded mattresses, into canals. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

The barge collects waste from a canal to prevent it from blockage the water pump station within Phra Khanong, the greatest such facility in Bangkok. It is the final pump station intended for canals and is crucial to the city’s drinking water drainage. City Corridor has urged inhabitants not to throw junk, including discarded beds, into canals. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

The Regal Irrigation Department (RID) has warned provinces along the Chao Phraya River to support for a greater danger of flooding because the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat will now up the rate of discharge rate to prevent this from overfilling.

The provinces concerned are Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Bangkok and Samut Prakan, said Thawisak Thanadechophon, deputy director-general of the FREE, on Tuesday.

With a fresh new period of heavy rain forecast to begin these days and continue in to Sunday in nearly all parts of the country, the amount of run-off flowing into major rivers and dams in upper Asia is consequently anticipated to rise, he said.

The particular Chao Phraya Dam needs to raise its discharge rate to 2, 000 cubic metres per 2nd from tomorrow from its present rate of 1, 800 cubic metres per second, he said.

As a result, the water ranges in the downstream stretches of the Chao Phraya are expected to rise by between 40 plus 60 centimetres, he or she said.

In Pathum Thani, the flooding situation in the province’s Rangsit Municipality went through bad to worse on Tuesday since the water levels in Khlong Rangsit Prayunsak, the main canal within the municipality, rose to some critical point plus prompted a caution for residents within low-lying communities to start moving their belonging to higher ground.

Praphit Chanma, director-general of the RID, meanwhile, dismissed accusations produced on social media that will mismanagement had triggered flooding in Pathum Thani.

He insisted it had been the torrential rainfall, more than 300 millimetres in some areas downstream including Pathum Thani itself, that mainly caused the floods.

Nevertheless , one key channel faced with a critical water level is Khlong Prawet Buri Rom in eastern Bangkok, that has already caused floods in Lat Krabang district, said Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.

The particular governor also cautioned that high ranges in certain parts of Chachoengsao, normally a water catchment area for your city, are impeding drainage efforts within Lat Krabang.