The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has raised the flood warning a notch to level 2 and put three industrial estates in Ayutthaya on high alert after more discharge from the Chao Phraya and Rama VI dams.
Veeris Ammarapala, the IEAT governor, said an increase in the discharge from both reservoirs and persistent rain are putting the Bang Pa-in, Ban Wa (Hi-Tech) and Nakhon Luang industrial estates at risk of being flooded, especially the latter which is affected by the water released from the Pasak Jolasid Dam.
“These industrial estates are well-equipped to prevent and handle flooding. The warning level has been raised for them to increase surveillance and prepare for an emergency. They regularly check the water level and make sure the pumps are working properly,” said Mr Veeris.
They also regularly inspect the flood levees built around the compounds, and follow weather forecasts from the Meteorological Department and the discharge reports from the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), he said.
Ditsapol Yimkhlib, director of the Nakhon Luang industrial estate office, said the emergency response centre has been set up to prepare for possible flooding with a flood drainage plan also drawn up.
The flood levees inside the compound have been reinforced and made four metres high, in the wake of especially strong flooding in 2011. The estate has also installed water pumps which are capable of draining 29,300 cubic metres of water per hour.
Mr Ditsapol said the estate is unlikely to see a repeat of the scale of the flooding from 2011.
Meanwhile, riverside residents in Ayutthaya’s Bang Ban, Sena and Phak Hai districts yesterday faced constantly surging water as the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province and the Rama VI Dam in Ayutthaya continued discharging water.
The worst-hit areas were along the Pasak River in Tha Rua and Nakhon Laung districts including Tha Rua old market, Wat Sa Due, Wat Nong Hoi, and Wat Koh Kaew Ketsadaram.
The Chao Phraya barrage in upstream Chai Nat, which regulates the flow of water from the North, reported a discharge rate of 2,697 cu/m of water per second yesterday while the Rama VI Dam recorded 995 cu/m. More than 33,000 riverside households in 705 villages in 11 districts in Ayutthaya were affected by the inundation, according to local officials.
Meanwhile, the RID yesterday asked the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to suspend any further discharges from the Bhumibol Dam in Tak and the Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit.