BANGKOK, 5 October 2011 – The governor of Nakhon Sawan Province has warned residents along the Ping and Chao Phraya rivers to prepare for more floods as the two rivers should overflow their banks on 6 October due heavy rains in watershed provinces.
Mr Chairote Meedaeng said the water levels in both rivers should rise by about one metre tomorrow due to heavy downpours in Tak and Kamphaeng Phet provinces, sending more water into the Ping. The situation could be aggravated as the Bhumibol Dam in Tak planned to release additionally 100 million cubic metres of water per day as its reservoir has stored water to the maximum capacity.
As Nakhon Sawan is where the rivers of Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan converge to form the Chao Phraya River, the water level at this section can be 2.19 metres higher than the river banks. The governor said such a mass of water could destroy rock barriers the province has built to prevent flood water and cause heavy damage to residents and their property. He urged people on both sides of the mentioned rivers to move their valuable belongings to a safe place or to evacuate to prepared shelters at schools, monasteries and the provincial sport stadium.
The governor also reported that many roads in the province have become inaccessible due to floods and mudslide. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department announced today that a south-western monsoon would bring widespread rain showers to Thailand in the next 1-2 days, and heavy rain was expected in the central and eastern regions, as well as the western side of the southern coast.
