Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Surasawadi insists 2.1 million rai of paddy fields in Ayutthaya are ready to absorb heavy rain-fed runoff from the Chao Phraya River over the next few days.

The chairman of the Water and Flood Management Commission made the comment while inspecting water levels in the Noi River, a Chao Phraya tributary, in Ayutthaya’s Sena district on Friday.

The visit was part of a three-day trip to eight provinces to view flood conditions first-hand.

Mr Plodprasop said he had checked the three vast paddy fields totalling 2.1 million rai that will serve as water retention zones in three districts -- Sena, Bang Ban and Pak Hai -- and found that farmers had already harvested their crops.

This meant that run-off from the North could be diverted into the area without causing damage to farmers, the minister said.

If more heavy rain triggered by the monsoon causes the Chao Phraya to swell and overflow its banks, water can be drained into the fields immediately, he said.

He said he was confident that the government would be able to handle the northern run-off this year.

Weather forecasters have warned people in the North, Northeast the Central Plains to brace for more heavy rain between  Monday and Thursday as a high pressure area from China will extend its ridge to the North and Northeast of Thailand.