KANCHANABURI: With Vajiralongkorn dam now approaching maximum capacity and holding a 34-year record volume of water, officials have begun opening spillway gates to increase the rate of discharge to 36 million cubic metres a day.
It was agreed at a meeting on Tuesday the current rate of discharge, at 28 million cu/m per day, was inadequate.
The amount of water in the dam reservoir was "above the control level by 930 million cu/m", dam director Wiwit Saengphanit said after reviewing the latest situation assessment in this rain drenched province.
The dam was at 81% of capacity, and there was room for only 1.7 million cu/m more water.
Without releasing water through the spillways, "the dam is at risk of being filled", Mr Wiwit warned.
The rate would be gradualy increased by 2-3 million cu/m per day to 36 million cu/m, to avoid serious impact on communities downstream in the Kwae Noi River.
The river converges with the Kwae Yai River and becomes the Mae Klong River in Kanchanaburi's Muang district, about 153km from the dam in Thong Pha Phum district.
Some riverside areas were reported to be already flooded by overflow from the rain-swollen Kwae Noi.
Last month, torrential rain hit the far-flung district of Sangkhla Buri, located north west of Thong Pha Phum. It triggered severe flooding and mudslides, affecting hundreds of villagers, many of whom were stranded without food or water in the upper floors of their houses.
A riverside area in Sai Yok district already flooded by overflow from the Kwae Noi River, as the level keeps on rising. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)