AYUTTHAYA, Sept 26 – Boat operators on the Chao Phraya River have been warned to take extra precaution when cruising in the Chao Phraya River to avoid any accidents caused by fast-moving water runoff from the North.
Surachet Chaikosol, an advisor to the transport minister, said Thursday that the volume of runoff from the North flowing through the Chao Phraya River system will tend to be most harmful, particularly at Bang Ban district and the outskirts of Ayutthaya due to narrow embankments and sharp curves. The river condition caused the wreck of a barge carrying soil yesterday, though no one was harmed in the accident.
Mr Surachet, a former Ayutthaya MP, said he had cooperated with relevant agencies to warn barge and tugboat operators to take precautions while cruising in the river and that security should be increased at the piers, ferries and chartered boat services around Ayutthaya.
Marine Department Ayutthaya office chief Rachata Pakafung said after checking waterflow status that Wat Panan Choeng, where the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak Rivers meet, is the area most prone to accidents.
One large barge can carry goods equivalent to 400 trucks, while four barges are towed in a line when sailing, he said. They usually carry coal from the Gulf of Thailand and sail again on the currents of the Chao Phraya River to a port in Nakhon Luang district to the Pa Sak River.
Five motorships with high horse power are needed to tow the barges against the current as well as other motorships to sail alongside and behind the barges to improve ability to safely control the barge line and prepare for assistance for unlikely incidents.
