BANGKOK, Oct 3 – Waters flowing from northern Thailand are manageable for Bangkok and the capital’s suburban areas but concerns are concentrated on rainfall given the weather bureau’s forecast of downpours until the weekend, a senior city administration official said today.
Sanya Cheenimitr, deputy permanent secretary for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said yesterday’s volume of rainfall peaked at 67 millimetres, taking two hours to drain from several inundated areas.
He said the volume of water from the North has reduced from 1,900 cubic metres/second yesterday to 1,800 cubic metres/second today, possibly a result of the Irrigation Department’s water management plan to avoid excessive waters in the old capital of Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani.
Ayutthaya is the home of priceless historical sites and temples, and many industrial estates are located in both provinces.
Regarding the latest report on higher waters in Bangkok’s eastern satellite province of Chachoengsao today, Mr Sanya said the Irrigation Department has released water into the Bang Pakong River and there has been no report of the capital’s eastern approaches being affected by flooding.
In the northern outskirts province of Nonthaburi, the Bangkok-Nonthaburi border area near Rama VII Road was under control as the water level at the dyke was manageable at 1.60 metres from sea level, he said, adding that the Irrigation Department has sped up releasing water from Klong Maha Sawat in Bang Bua Thong district, on the western border, to the Tha Chin River.
“Waters from the North are less worrisome than this week’s rainfall. The BMA has released water from some sluice gates in order to take in more water,” he said.
The BMA’s Flood Prevention and Mitigation Centre reported that water was released from the North into the Chao Phraya River at 1,870 cubic metres/second, less than yesterday’s volume at 1,953 cubic metres/second.
Water at the Klong Song sluice gate was measured at 1.44 metres this morning, below the critical point of 1.80 metres.
Rainfall in the last 24 hours averaged 67 millimetres while the Meteorological Department predicted heavy rain over 80 per cent of the total Bangkok area, in the evening.
