The Royal Irrigation Department is pushing ahead with its plan for a new canal that will link the Pasak River with the Gulf of Thailand, to help drain floodwater across the Central Plains basin during the rainy season and mitigate water shortages in the dry season.
The 135-kilometre canal will begin in tambon Roeng Rang in Saraburi's Sao Hai district and end at tambon Song Khlong in Chachoengsao's Bang Pakong district.
It will pass through 38 tambons and 11 districts from Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Nayok, Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao. Construction will be divided into two phases.
The first phase will see a 54.5-kilometre canal dug from Bang Nam Prieo to Bang Pakong district in Chachoengsao. Once completed, the canal will be extended to join with Klong Raphi Phat in Ayutthaya.
The canal is expected to boost the area's drainage capacity to 600 cubic metres (m³) of water per second, which will help reduce flooding in the region from runoff originating in the Pasak and Chao Phraya rivers, as well as nearby canals.
Once completed, the canal will also act as a water reserve, with a capacity of about 57.4 million m³.
The canal, which will be 10 metres wide, will be flanked by roads on both banks.