A "centre for managing the flood crisis" was set up on Friday to monitor the rapidly rising levels of water in reservoirs nationwide as discharge rates are stepped up at three major dams reaching the limit of their storage capacities.
The centre was established at the behest of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to integrate the work of agencies involved in water management, Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), said.
''They include the ONWR, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), the Water Resources Department, the Meteorological Department, the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency.
"The crisis centre expects more heavy rain from Sunday, particularly in Tak, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan. In light of this, water needed to be drained from reservoirs over the next 10 days to prepare for more rain expected in the middle of this month," he said.
Currently, water levels were very high at 12 major dams. Three of them -- Nam Oun dam in Sakon Nakhon, Kaeng Krachan dam in Phetchaburi and the Vajiralongkorn dam in Kanchanaburi -- were almost full. Discharge rates were being increased.
Steps would be taken to ease the impact water of opening the dam floodgates on people downstream, and evacuation plans made for people in designated flood-risk areas, Mr Somkiat said. People would be provided with regular updates.
Deputy Prime Minister Chatchai Sarikulya had stressed the need to check the structural integrity of dams and for the centre to report the progress in water management to him daily, Mr Somkiat said.
Currently, there was nothing to worry about at Bhumibol dam in Tak, Sirikit dam in Uttaradit and the Chao Phraya dam in Chai Nat, he said.