Residents and businesses in the province of Ayutthaya are preparing for possible flooding as a result of the decision by irrigation officials to release a large quantity of water into the Chao Phraya River and several other major waterways.
The governor of Ayutthaya, Veerachai Nakmas, stated that the government had tasked the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office and the Ayutthaya Provincial Irrigation Office with closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that all water-measurement stations are staffed and prepared to respond to an emergency.
Veerachai stated that the Ayutthaya branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and local irrigation units would also provide assistance.
Since Wednesday, the irrigation office has steadily raised the amount of water released from the Chao Phraya Dam from 1,500 cubic meters per second (m3/s) to 1,550 m3/s, resulting in a 10-centimeter rise in the water level of the Noi River.
Thaweesak Thana-dachopol, deputy director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), said the dam is expected to receive as much as 133.26 m3 of fresh water from rainfall between August 24 and 30. The agency is planning to increase the discharge rate from 34.56 million m3 to 43.20 million m3 beginning on August 27 to prevent damage to the structure.
The new discharge rate, according to Thaweesak, will cause the water level to rise 1-1.5 meters in the part of the Pa Sak River that flows through the ThaRuea district before joining the Chao Phraya in the PhraNakhon Sri Ayutthaya district.
Authorities have established a command center to continuously monitor the situation and provide quick updates to the public. Those needing assistance can also contact the 1784 hotline. (NNT)
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