Dam water discharge warning issued
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Dam water discharge warning issued

Chao Phraya River may overflow in central provinces

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The Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat speeds up water drainage. (Photo: Chai Nat public relations office)
The Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat speeds up water drainage. (Photo: Chai Nat public relations office)

The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has warned 11 central provinces where the Chao Phraya River flows through to prepare to deal with higher water levels as the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat speeds up water drainage there.

RID acting Director-General Det Lekwichai issued the warning on Thursday to the governors of Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Bangkok.

Mr Det said the Royal Irrigation Department will increase its water outflow from 1,500 to 2,000 cubic metres per second due to a higher volume of water flowing from the North.

The agency predicts that river water will flow through the C2 water measurement station in Nakhon Sawan on Saturday at a rate of up to 2,100 cubic metres per second.

Mr Det noted that the flow, when combined with a side flow of 150 cubic m/s and the water flowing from the Sakae Krang River at a rate of 100 cubic m/s, will cause the water flow at the Chao Phraya Dam to rise rapidly, resulting in the need for the dam to release a significantly higher volume of water.

"The increased outflow is expected to cause higher water levels in several low-lying areas in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya provinces that are not protected by dykes to rise by up to 1.5 metres," according to Mr Det.

Meanwhile, a Facebook post said the water level in Ayutthaya rose by 40 centimetres in a day, flooding several villages.

The Ayutthaya Station Facebook page on Thursday reported on the flood situation in the province through several posts.

In one, it said the province's water level increased by 40cm over a night, resulting in the overflowing of the Noi River, which caused several villages in Bang Ban, Sena, and Phak Hai districts to be hit by sudden floods.

The Facebook page asked when the authorities will redirect water to catchment fields, noting that the province has up to seven such fields.

The post also criticised the authorities for taking actions different from what they had announced they would do earlier.

It said they had been quickly increasing the volume of dam water they were releasing over the past few days despite previously announcing that they would do so gradually.

The Facebook page also noted that the volume of released water was nearly 2,000 cubic m/s even though the authorities promised they would try to prevent the volume from exceeding 1,500 cubic m/s.

"What is the truth? What is certain? Please be straightforward with the people," the page demanded.

In another development, Uttaradit's Sirikit Dam and Phitsanulok's Kwae Noi Bumrung Dan Dam have reduced their daily outflows to 14 million cubic m/s and 600,000 cubic m/s, respectively, in a bid to lower the water level in the Nan River after it rose to 7.33 metres.

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