To prevent a recurrence of floods in Samut Prakan that crippled the Bang Pu industrial estate last year, the government is following up on 13 flood-prevention measures. Meanwhile, rains in the North have caused the water level in the Chao Phraya river basin to rise.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon, as the head of the National Water Command, inspected the dredging of Mahawong canal in Samut Prakan. He also inspected the pump station in Bang Pu industrial estate, which is one of Samut Prakan’s three major industrial parks. Floods inside the industrial estate last year caused activities to ground to a halt. The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) said they were the worst floods inside the industrial park since its founding in 1977.
Gen. Prawit told representatives of the Royal Irrigation Department, the IEAT, and Samut Prakan province to work on a flood prevention master plan. The said plan would be used to address and prevent floods in Bang Pu industrial estate and the surrounding area. Gen. Prawit called for the drainage system and the pumps station at the industrial park to be kept in good order. He also tasked the relevant agencies with rehabilitating local water sources and water quality.
According to the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), rainfall in the Northern Region has increased the amount of water in the Chao Phraya basin. ONWR Secretary-General Surasri Kidtimonton said the Royal Irrigation Department has been asked to discharge water from reservoirs. He said authorities will mitigate impacts on the public as much as they can. (NNT)
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