BANGKOK, 13 September 2011 – The Royal Irrigation Department has urged residents of the Lower Chao Phraya River Basin to keep their eyes on the water level which has a tendency to rise to the highest point during 19-20 September.
According to Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department Chalit Damrongsak, on account of the recent heavy rainfall, the amount of water in the Chao Phraya River is currently increasing at the rate of 3,700-3,900 cubic meters per second, which is comparable to the rate during the 2002 flooding catastrophe. The excess water is reportedly flushing down from the Ping and the Pa Sak Rivers and is projected to reach Ayutthaya province on 19 September and Bangkok by 20 September.
Riverside provinces below Chao Phraya Dam, especially Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi, are likely to be impacted by river runoff and flooding during the period. Related authorities have thus been ordered to increase the height of the embankment to approximately two meters.
Meanwhile, Mr Panu Yamsri, Director-General of the Disaster Mitigating Directing Center of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, encouraged people residing along the lower Chao Phraya River to prepare for floods by constantly monitoring the water level, building walls of sandbags and moving their belongings to high places.
