The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has eased the fears of northern residents suffering intense flooding as it has released more water from the Chao Phraya dam in Chai Nat.
Officials increased the discharge rate when farmers in Bung Nam Sai in Nakhon Sawan, north of Chai Nat, complained that run-off from the mountains had triggered flooding to more than 2,500 rai of paddy fields.
The water level measured near the dam yesterday rapidly increased to 16.75 metres above mean sea level, prompting officials to release more water to cope with the massive entry of water into the Chao Phraya River which threatens to overflow onto riverside farmland and into communities.
The water was released at 649 cubic metres a second, up sharply from 70 cu/m a second, said Suchat Charoensi, head of irrigation office 12 in Chai Nat.
He expected more run-off, caused by heavy rainfall in northern provinces, to continue flowing into major rivers which merge in Nakhon Sawan to become the Chao Phraya.
The RID will manage the water as planned, Mr Suchat said, referring to its traditional solution of diverting water from the Chao Phraya to the vast areas of farmland along both banks of the river. Eventually, he said, the discharge rate from the Chao Phraya dam will be reduced to less than 600 cu/m a second.
More water released from the dam will relieve flooded paddy fields in tambon Bung Nam Sai in Nakhon Sawan's Muang district, said Manot Uthairat, village head of Ban Moo 14.
Farmers said their farmland was flooded by overflow from canals linked to the Nan River, one of four rivers that run into the Chao Phraya.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department has forecast more rain to fall in most parts of Thailand until Sunday due to a low pressure front currently over Vietnam and Tonkin Bay, as well as a stronger southwestern monsoon from the Andaman Sea. It said these conditions will bring widespread downpours over the lower North, upper Central Plains and the Northeast.
Many provinces, including Bangkok, were drenched by rainfall last week, causing flooding in many areas. Among the hardest hit was Sukhothai's Khiri Mat district where more than 5,000 villagers were affected, officials said. Meanwhile, the overall situation in Sukhothai's Khiri Mat district has returned to normal. Motorists in small vehicles yesterday began to use a section of the Sukhothai-Kamphaeng Phet road, which was earlier flooded.