The Royal Irrigation Department has issued a warning for eight central provinces to brace for the overflowing Chao Phraya River now that the Chao Phraya Dam has increased water discharge by 100 cubic metres to 1,998 cubic metres per second.
The eight provinces are Chai Nat, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri and Lop Buri.
The water level above the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat's Sapphaya district as of Thursday morning was 16.49 metres above the mean sea level and 14.80m below the dam.
With the water being discharged at the rate of 1,998 cu m per second, water levels in riverside areas from In Buri and Phrom Buri districts of Sing Buri and Pa Mok district of Ang Thong to Bang Ban and Sena districts of Ayutthaya are expected to rise by 50-70cm.
People living along the river banks have been advised to move their electrical appliances and other belongings above the water level.
In Chai Nat, many low-lying areas of Manorom district have already been flooded.