Water being discharged from dams north of Bangkok will not lead to possible flooding in the capital, a Royal Irrigation Department official said on Monday.
Greater Bangkok has seen some areas inundated over the past weeks, with Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi, Don Muang and Sukhumvit areas frequently flooded.
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As the Chao Phraya and other dams are releasing water, Lertchai Sri-anand, director of the Office of Water Management and Hydrology, said that the discharged water would not affect the situation in Bangkok.
The Chao Phraya Dam is discharging only 1,644 cubic metres per second of water, down from almost 2,000 last week.
For the water to overflow the dykes in Bang Sai district in Ayutthaya, the last barrier before Bangkok, the Chao Phraya dam must discharge water at 2,500 cu m per second but right now the flow rate is 1,900 cu m per second only.
The amount of water should therefore be easy for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to handle as its flood walls along the river can cope with the discharge rate of 3,500 cu m per second, the official said.
"The chance of the water from the Chao Phraya and other rivers flooding Bangkok is zero," the official told Voice TV. "That leaves heavy rain in the capital as the only cause of possible floods."
"The problem with Bangkok is that its canals and the drainage system can't drain water quickly enough," he added.
His statement followed alerts from officials in Greater Bangkok of possible floodings caused by the Chao Phraya.
The bad news for Bangkok people is more than half of the capital will be covered by rain or heavy rain until this weekend, the Meteorological Department said in the latest forecast on Monday.
The Department of Drainage and Sewerage said on Monday that heavy rain was recorded in Klong Toey, Yannawa, Saphan Sung, Sathon and Prawes districts on Sunday.
