City Hall on flood alert as Chao Phraya rises

City Hall on flood alert as Chao Phraya rises

Water from the rain swollen Chao Phraya River floods the Tha It community in Muang district, Nonthaburi, on Wednesday. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Water from the rain swollen Chao Phraya River floods the Tha It community in Muang district, Nonthaburi, on Wednesday. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is keeping a close watch on the water level of the Chao Phraya River as the flood surge from the North flows through the capital.

Deputy city clerk Sompong Wiengkaew said on Wednesday City Hall expects the river level to peak at 2,500 cubic metres per second on Oct 19.

Downpours over most of the country caused the Royal Irrigation Department to order dams to release more water into the Chao Phraya.

The level at the measuring station in Bang Sai district of Ayutthaya -- the main place used to check the flow to Bangkok -- was about 2,000 cu/m on Wednesday.

The BMA is preparing more sandbags for reinforcement of the river's banks, and all riverside districts have been warned to stay vigilant around the clock, the BMA official added.

"The BMA is following the situation and coordinating with other agencies 24 hours," he said, adding that the situation is still under control.

The Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat and Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri are two key dams affecting  the lower basin of the Chao Phraya.

The Chao Phraya Dam will release water at up to 2,600 cu/m for another week, deputy Irrigation Department director-general Thongplaew Kongchan said on Tuesday.

Pasak Jolasid is releasing more water from the Pa Sak River as rain continues upstream, he  said.

The Meteorological Department on Wednesday warned of heavy rain in some areas in the northeastern, central, eastern and southern regions, as well as Bangkok, until next Tuesday.


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