PHETCHABURI: The flood surge down the Phetchaburi River from the Kaeng Krachan dam reached low-lying areas in the centre of the province on Wednesday, and water level was rising.
The downtown municipal area began flooding in the morning as the discharge rate was maximised at the Phetchaburi dam, which has received discharges from the Kaeng Krachan dam for days. The accelerated discharge was to protect the Phetchaburi dam's structure.
The Royal Irrigation Department will keep the discharge rate high at Petchaburi dam until the water behind Kaeng Krachan dam drops to a suitable level.
Floodwater in downtown Phetchaburi rose to 10-20 centimetres deep in the morning. The National Water Resources office expected the level to keep rising. Schools in the municipal area were ordered closed from Wednesday for the rest of this week.
More pumps were installed and sandbags were laid down to cope with the overflow from the Phetchaburi River. Officials helped residents move their belongings to high ground.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Luck Wajananawat said in Phetchaburi that the Kaeng Krachan dam held 773 million cubic metres of water, or 109% of its manageable capacity. The deluge being released down the spillway also caused flooding in areas along the Phetchaburi River in Kaeng Krachan and Tha Yang districts.
The amount of water in the Kaeng Krachan dam reservoir was falling, he said.
The Phetchaburi governor issued flood warnings for people in Ban Laem and Ban Lad districts.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also confirmed the level of the Phetchaburi River was continuing to rise.