AYUTTHAYA: People living near the Pasak river have been warned to be vigilant as the water level rises in the wake of increased discharge rates at the Rama VI and Pasak Jolasid dams.
The advice was issued after Suchard Charoensri, director of Regional Irrigation Office 10, held an urgent meeting with officials responsible for water management in the Pasak river basin, at the Rama VI dam in Tha Rua district of Ayutthaya, on Tuesday afternoon.
The meeting was called after it was observed that a huge amount of forest run-off from the northeastern provinces of Chaiyaphum and Phetchabun was flowing into Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri.
This substantial inflow made it necessary to increase the discharge rate, Mr Suchard said.
Coupled with continuing heavy rainfall in Lop Buri and Saraburi, the Pasak river would also be carrying a higher volume of water downstream to the Rama VI dam.
The meeting agreed to increase the discharge rate from Pasak Jolasid dam to 400 cubic metres per second and from Rama VI dam to 450 cu/m per second.
Some of the water reaching Rama VI dam would be diverted to the Rapeepat canal at a rate of 70 cu/m per second, he said.
People downstream from Rama VI dam, in Tha Rua, Nakhon Luang and Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya districts were warned of rising water levels from Tuesday night.
The river level could rise by up to one metre, but that would still be two metres below the bank top.
Riverside communities and restaurants on floating rafts have been warned to be prepared because days of continued and possibly increasing discharges from the dam could cause the river to overflow and flood low-lying areas, Mr Suchard said.