The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will place 1.5 million sandbags along the banks of the Chao Phraya River to help prevent flooding after the Chao Phraya Dam discharges more water due to increased rainfall.
Officials are monitoring water levels along the Chao Phraya’s distributaries, such as the Bangkok Noi, Maha Sawat and Phra Khanong canals, said Surat Charoenchaisakul, director of city drainage and sewerage.
The sandbags will be stacked along the riverbank by mid-October, he added.
Residents who live along the river can access flood warnings or request assistance via the BMA’s platforms: dds.bangkok.go.th, www.prbangkok.com, the BMA Twitter (X) account, and the Traffy Fondue mobile app.
Heavy rains are forecast until Friday in the northeastern, central and southern regions of Thailand, which are expected to raise water volumes at the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat to between 1,350 and 1,750 cubic metres per second (m³/s).
The dam will release water at a rate of 1,000 to 1,400 m³/s, potentially raising the water level of the Chao Phraya in Nonthaburi province by another one to 1.5 metres.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has requested local government agencies to stack sandbags along river banks and advised residents to follow flood updates closely.
More information can be found at the department’s’s hotline, 1784, or the centre’s official LINE account, @3384DDPM.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin, who visited flood-hit Sukhothai on Monday, said the situation is still worrying because the Yom River, does not have a dam to limit the amount flowing downstream.
Affected by rising water levels from northern provinces such as Kamphaeng Phet, Phayao and Phrae, Sukhothai could see twice the damage it has already experienced in the past few days, said Mr Somsak.
“Over 100,000 rai of agricultural lands and 4,000 households have been affected by severe flooding [in Sukhothai],” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the flood situation was the first topic at the cabinet meeting yesterday.
He said that MPs representing each flood-hit constituency were briefed to visit the areas and assess possible compensation for flood victims, especially farmers.
“I will visit Ubon Ratchathani on Friday to prepare for the anticipated severe floods in the area. Last year, the province saw large and long-running floods which severely damaged agricultural fields,” said Mr Srettha.