The Water and Flood Management Commission and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will hold a meeting tomorrow to settle the sandbag row, Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said on Thursday.
Mr Plodprasop was replying to a question in parliament directed to the prime minister by Democrat MP Thana Chirawinij, over sandbags found stuffed in drains on Srinakarin Road by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Mr Thana said the BMA had laid sandbags at 18 spots to block water from flowing into flood-prone areas on many roads, including Ramkhamhaeng, Srinakarin, Rama 9 and Phetchaburi.
The MP asked why Mr Plodprasop, who is WFMC chairman, had not invited representatives of the city administration to explain instead of confusing the public by making accusations through the media and causing problems for the BMA, since MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the Bangkok governor, is also a WFMC member.
Mr Thana said this method of floodwater control was used worldwide and the WFMC knew this.
Mr Plodprasop rose to reply on behalf of the prime minister. He said he had no intention of confusing people but had to look into the BMA's actions and then order it to remove the sandbags after seeing that its action had affected the overall water drainage system.
An appointment had been made for the WFMC to meet with the BMA tomororow at 2pm as suggested by the prime minister and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, he said.
He would apologise to the BMA and follow its advice if it was proved there was a misunderstanding on his part, saying he did not understand the BMA's technique.
He insisted it was not right to build boulders or monkey cheeks in the middle of the city.
If he was proved correct, the BMA must remove the sandbags otherwise he would have to take some action, Mr Plodprasop said.