Northamers can also participate in run-offs.
Bangkok and other river regions will not be affected by the flooding in the North, according to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who claimed the caretaker management has the situation under control.
On Thursday, Mr. Phumtham claimed that the government had gathered more tools to deal with the flooding in Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan, Phayao, and Sukhothai.
According to Mr. Phumtham, who cited data from the Meteorological Department and the Royal Irrigation Department, run-off from higher ground follows the rain rains rather than storms and/or another weather anomalies.
The storms are expected to begin receding in the next few weeks, as the main reservoir in the region, the Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit state, is only about 60 % full and is able to get in more run-off, he said.
He said that the RID, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Office of Natural Water Resources ( ONWR ) have been given the task of closely monitoring the situation, especially in the provinces that have been hardest hit by the floods.
The Interior Ministry has been instructed to establish crisis centers so that cooperation with appropriate organizations can be facilitated in flood-hit locations. Additionally, the Interior Ministry has been instructed to declare these locations crisis zones so that emergency funds can be distributed right away.
The Transport Ministry has been given the task of surveying road injury and building wooden bridge to help transportation, while the Education Ministry has been instructed to shut schools down in flood-hit places.
However, the Commerce Ministry has been instructed to make sure basic goods are accessible for a fair price.
Asked about claims that this year’s floods might be worse than in 2011, Mr Phumtham said:” Do n’t panic. The amount of water is reasonable, if there is no more weather, the condition may improve”.
All relevant organizations are doing everything they can to control the rainwater in the North and stop the surplus water from entering the Chao Phraya River, according to Caretaker Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow. To guard Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, which are located upstream of the Yom River, he said, the Yom River’s water may be diverted to the Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit.
Capt Thamanat said he would attend Phayao, Phrae, and Nan on Friday.
He said this year’s floods wo n’t be as bad as in 2011, as the country’s three main reservoirs can still take in more water.
However, Surat Charoenchaisakul, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Department of Drainage and Sewerage, said run-off from the North is expected to arrive in Bangkok around the end of this month.
In expectation, City Hall is reinforcing storm windows along the Chao Phraya River, he said, adding the ministry has repaired 60 out of 120 reported vulnerabilities. The BMA is keeping an eye on the water levels and handing out sandbags to flood-prone neighborhoods to aid in building storm rooms.
” We have 8-9 days to prepare. Because there is no tank to halt the stream, the liquid from the Yom River will move to Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, and Bangkok,” he said.
In September and October, Bangkok may experience more rainfall and run-off from the North. When water levels in the town’s canals fall, water may be pumped out”, he said.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed her fears about the floods on X, saying that as she has not yet assumed full power, Mr. Phumtham will be in charge of the president’s disaster response and planning.
The Meteorological Department urged those in the North and Northeast to be wary of large to really heavy rain from August 21 to August 27 while the ONWR issued a caution for possible display floods and landslides in 35 counties until August 30.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, seven regions have been hit by storms, with 12, 777 communities affected as of yesterday, especially Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lampang, Nan, Phrae, Phetchabun and Udon Thani.