Dams are releasing water as a precautionary move prior to the arrival of large inflows of water from this week's heavy rains, the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) has said.
The office's main concerns are flood-prone areas in the lower northeastern and central regions, said Chayan Muangsong, the agency deputy secretary-general.
Mr Chayan said rainfall is expected to be 8% higher than average this week so all water-related agencies are planning to release water from dams to increase their capacity to deal with incoming water.
He said that the Ubolratana Dam in Khon Kaen province needs to discharge 25 million cubic metres of water per day to the Chi and Mun rivers which will affect communities along their banks in the lower part of the northeastern region, especially in the areas of Warin Chamrap district where the two rivers meet.
To prepare for the flood, the office has set up its front-line unit to closely monitor the situation. Heavy rain was expected in the region beginning yesterday up until next Monday.
Regarding the lower Chao Phraya River basin, Mr Chayan said that a high volume of rainfall is expected in Suphan Buri, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Saraburi from yesterday till Friday. The department will have a front-line unit in Chai Nat to closely monitor the situation, he said.
He further added that Pasak Chonlasit Dam in Lop Buri and Khwae Noi Bamrung Dan Dam in Phitsanulok also needed to drain some water.
Fortunately, large dams including the Bhumibol Dam in Tak and Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit have water levels at 52% and 56% of storage capacity, respectively, he said.