The government is able to put flooding under control while inundation in eastern Bangkok results from unusual torrential rain, according to Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda.
Answering a question on flooding in eastern Bangkok and other areas from the Pheu Thai Party, Gen Anupong said there were flooding and drainage problems because a monsoon trough and the southwest monsoon brought heavy rains to areas below dams.
The government was discharging water from the Chao Phraya River into the sea and would be able to cope with deluges of water if there were a few more storms in the Chao Phraya river basin, the interior minister said.
The government was also accelerating the flow of Mun and Chi rivers in the Northeast to speed up flood drainage. But if another storm or a monsoon trough hit the region, flooding might recur, he said.
“Flooding in Lat Krabang and Prawet districts as well as other areas in eastern Bangkok did not result from national water management but from the considerable rainwater which was 50% higher than its average amount and from the management of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. However, the government is ready to help with its personnel, equipment and instruments when the BMA requests for them. The Ministry of Interior does not have power to intervene,” Gen Anupong said.
He added that the Bangkok governor had authority to declare flooded areas in the capital disastrous zones so that affected people could receive assistance from the government. (TNA)
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