Pathum Thani was one of the areas in Greater Bangkok hit the hardest by torrential rain on Tuesday night and the Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) chief pointed his finger at a pump breakdown as being one of the reasons.
Pathum Thani was one of the provinces adjacent to Bangkok that was seriously flooded by an overnight downpour, with Lam Luk Ka district hit the hardest, according to a Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department report released on Wednesday. The PAO also added Rangsit area in neighbouring Thanya Buri district as another heavily-flooded location.
Pol Lt Gen Kamronwit Toopkrajang found out during after an inspection trip to assess the damage in Thanya Buri that the irrigation unit controlling water at Klong Rangsit had only 11 water pumps on duty, while another nine broke down.
Bowdaeng Takaew, the director of the South Rangsit Water Management and Maintenance Office, said spare parts would not be coming until Friday.
Royal Irrigation Department director-general Prapit Chanma promised to bring mobile pumps from other locations to discharge water to help alleviate the problem.
Rangsit canal, one of the mains canal in the province, can absorb 8 million cubic metres of water under normal circumstances but it received 15 million cubic metres of water from other tributary canals and other areas in Bangkok on Tuesday night.
Residents in a Bang Bua community in Bang Khen district of Bangkok contend with flood water on Wednesday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said some of the heaviest rain to have fallen on Bangkok in two decades began on Tuesday evening and has overwhelmed the capital’s main canals, making it difficult to drain the excess water from some parts of the city.
Bang Khen district, for instance, reported 170 millimetres of precipitation since Tuesday — the highest in 20 years.
As a result, water levels along Klong Lat Phrao and Klong Prem Prachakon, the district’s main drainage canals, have also risen, causing floods in certain areas.
Some of the most affected locations include the Bang Khen roundabout and areas surrounding the tracks of a new electric train route, which the governor said was partly to blame for slow drainage.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Royal Irrigation Department are doing the best they can to drain the flood water off the city’s streets, but high water levels across the city’s main canals have made it difficult, said the governor.
With more rain expected, the public has been advised to plan their trips accordingly.
Mr Chadchart urged motorists to keep an eye on the weather forecasts, as well as flood reports and traffic conditions.
“Insufficient planning has resulted in many motorists getting stranded in flooded areas,” he said.
“With so many cars stuck in these areas, even military trucks deployed to help flood victims couldn’t reach them in time.
“These lessons have been learned and we hope to make [our response] better,” he said.
At least 17 locations in Bangkok were flooded from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning, according to the BMA’s flood control and mitigation centre.
On Tuesday night in particular, the floods paralysed traffic in certain parts of the city.
Mr Chadchart also expressed his gratitude to the RID for their help in handling the floods.
The governor said the department let the BMA use 21 of its water pumps to drain water from heavily flooded areas.
Residents living in Bang Khen, Lat Phrao, Don Muang, and Chatuchak are advised to remain vigilant as more heavy rain is on the way.