Urgent flood warning as reservoirs overwhelmed - RID denies repeat of 2011 crisis

[webfact]

Urgent flood warning as reservoirs overwhelmed

By THE NATION

 

 

RID denies repeat of 2011 crisis as residents warned to seek safety on higher ground.

WATER HAS already overwhelmed 167 reservoirs in the country, with floods reported in many provinces and flooding risks increasing in several other areas. 

 

Areas of Chaiyaphum, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Phayao, Lampang and Pathum Thani are already flooded.

 

Six Central provinces also received particular warnings from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) yesterday. They were Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Angthong, Lop Buri, Saraburi and Ayutthaya as the Pasak Jolasid Dam, which is located in Lop Buri, is reaching its full storage capacity. 

 

 

The flooding threat is now imminent, given that rain and heavy downpours will likely continue in many parts of the country through Sunday. 

 

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikulya yesterday ordered the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) to closely manage water volumes. 

 

“Relevant agencies must be updated about the situation so that warnings can be issued to people in a timely manner,” he said. 

 

He added that authorities were expected to follow news about the weather and prepare equipment to help flood victims. 

 

People living along the Chao Phraya River away from embankment zones, from Nakhon Sawan province southwards, will have to brace for flooding or rising floodwaters as the RID will have to discharge more water from several reservoirs. 

 

 

As of press time, four major dams in the Chao Phraya River Basin were already 74-per-cent full. 

 

RID director-general Somkiat Prajamwong said assessments suggested as much as 3,100 cubic metres of water per second would fill the Chao Phraya Dam in Chainat province as of Sunday. 

 

“We have to discharge more water from the Chao Phraya Dam from now on to ensure it can cope with the incoming huge volumes of water,” he said. 

 

The water discharged out of the dam will rise from 2,000 to 2,600 cubic metres per second. With such discharge volumes, water levels in downstream areas that are not protected by embankments will rise by 80 centimetres to one metre. 

 

The discharge will also affect people in Ayutthaya, as floodwater levels increase by between 20 and 30 centimetres. 

 

Sin Jantorn, a village head in Ayutthaya, said more than 400 local families had been struggling with inundation for several months already. 

 

“If more water comes to our areas, our life will become more difficult,” she said. 

 

 

Tambon Tha Din Daeng Administrative Organisation chief executive officer Nattorn Mongkhonroi, a local leader in Ayutthaya, said prolonged flooding had already caused a conflict among local residents as people in his areas believed their neighbours should agree to diversions of floodwater into their areas. 

 

RID deputy director-general Thongplew Kongjun has tried to downplay public concerns about the risk of another flooding crisis similar to that seen in 2011 . 

 

“The situation is not that serious,” he said. 

 

In 2011, Thailand was plunged into a serious flood crisis with floodwaters covering large areas of the nation. The flooding affected the lives of millions of Thais and shut down several industrial estates. 

 

“Six years ago, the water volume flowing in the Chao Phraya River in Nakhon Sawan’s Muang district was at 4,650 cubic metres of water per second. At present, the water volume at the same area is just 2,630 cubic metres per second,” he said. 

 

Chatchai also assured that floodwaters would not swamp homes of people living in embankment zones. 

 

People living in areas not protected by embankments along the Chao Phraya River have already been advised to move their belongings to higher ground. 

 

In Nonthaburi and Bangkok, the Chao Phraya has already flooded some unprotected areas. 

 

The water level in the river is supposed to peak between today and Saturday. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30329081

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-12

[NCC1701A]

I have seen this movie. What is on the Car Carnage Channel?

 

 

[eliotness]

Speaking to soon I think.  Nature has a way of biting back at so called " experts ".

[bangkokheat]

we need another songkram

[mikebell]

Soon be drought season.

[mackayae]

Deja vu all over again.

[newatthis]

Maybe, not 2011 but definitely 2010.

[LoZth]

Here's a wild solution (not as wild as some of the plans that the ''experts'' come up with, ie propellers pushing the water down river) to the flooding around Bangkok etc.

If they build a dam from just North of Sattahip across to Petchaburi Prov all that reclaimed land cold be used for the overflow.

Job done.

I know I know, there's one small drawback though, the port of Bangkok would have to be relocated to Sattahip.

 

 

 

 

 

[MaxLee]

This is Thailand. Every test same Sh****

[CGW]

“The situation is not that serious,” he said.

 

Not yet its not! BUT if the rains continue surely it is inevitable that flooding on a much larger scale will be inevitable, been a long wet rainy season in the NE, the reservoirs are all full or very close to full, the land is sodden, unable to adsorb any more water so it will run off - to where? I would be preparing rather than hoping! Dependant on just how much more rainfall there will be this year will see the level of flooding, given that the forecast is for more rains!

[soalbundy]

25 minutes ago, CGW said:

“The situation is not that serious,” he said.

 

Not yet its not! BUT if the rains continue surely it is inevitable that flooding on a much larger scale will be inevitable, been a long wet rainy season in the NE, the reservoirs are all full or very close to full, the land is sodden, unable to adsorb any more water so it will run off - to where? I would be preparing rather than hoping! Dependant on just how much more rainfall there will be this year will see the level of flooding, given that the forecast is for more rains!

It isn't that serious, he lives on high ground.

[TomJoad]

When sea levels rise even higher, the Chao Phraya River will rise higher too.  I sometimes wonder if the people building all the new high rises in Bangkok realize this.  Maybe they think the problem will somehow be solved by then?  

[pattayadon]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I have seen this movie. What is on the Car Carnage Channel?

 

 

Same same..... Carbage!

[Bob12345]

7 minutes ago, TomJoad said:

When sea levels rise even higher, the Chao Phraya River will rise higher too.  I sometimes wonder if the people building all the new high rises in Bangkok realize this.  Maybe they think the problem will somehow be solved by then?  

Or they just plan to sell the lowest floors for cheap and put a clause in the contract that the balcony can be turned into a pier.

[madmitch]

Anyone remember reading earlier this year the authorities' proclamation that there would be no flooding in 2017?

 

And did anyone believe them?

[Formaleins]

Who do they have left to blame for it this time? 

[BuaBS]

6 hours ago, newatthis said:

Maybe, not 2011 but definitely 2010.

I hope they let us know how bad it is , so I can buy a HDD before prices go up like in 2011.

[Sydebolle]

Take Thailand's (well documented) historical figures on how much rain fell in which year. 

I.e. in a (ficticous example) in 2012 some 100 million m3 rain came; the dams at the beginning had 20 million m3 and a total capacity of 110 million m3 - so you need to put 90 million m3 into these dams.

So the management of the water levels in the dams and down stream is simply; you get 10/9th of water you need, i.e. you release today 1/9th of yesterday's rainfall, every day after a rainy day. 

One third of the rain falls in the last quarter of the monsoon; this will allow daily fine-tuning of water levels and allows avoiding floods downstream while having completely full dams at the end of the rainy season.

No rocket science - and this is how water dams are managed all over the planet - quite obviously except Thailand! 

[connda]

20 years from now they still won't have any progress on water management programs nationwide other than they'll be a new batch of politicians to point fingers.

[ChrisY1]

37 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

Who do they have left to blame for it this time? 

Well......can't blame the military....they have immunity....so it must be the foreigners again!

[CGW]

1 hour ago, TomJoad said:

When sea levels rise even higher, the Chao Phraya River will rise higher too.  I sometimes wonder if the people building all the new high rises in Bangkok realize this.  Maybe they think the problem will somehow be solved by then?  

"Eyes wide shut"? like so many things in life people are blind to them, intentional or?

[Eric Loh]

40 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

Who do they have left to blame for it this time? 

Can Yingluck can be retroactively blamed?

[wvavin]

This is no longer a news. Could have been done decades ago but all the money have been channeled to the corrupt governments.

[NoBrains]

The Dutch where called in 2011 ( masters in water ways ) and they made a plan for Thailand how to get rid of the water and no floodings anymore.
The Thai government dismissed all plans....

In 1953 The Netherlands had heavy floodings with a South west storm,  from that time they develop the Delta works it took many years to build and from that time never heavy floodings anymore.

[Ossy]

 

Photo caption: Prayuth's doppleganger does a better job of looking concerned than P1 himself. This guy should surely be offered a job in the junta hierarchy . . . Officer in Charge of PR and General Nice Feelings, maybe

 

 

 

[CantSpell]

I do not know what was the situation in the north in 2011 but this year in Chiang Mai, it has rained every single day since May 17.

I cannot remember more than 3 consecutive days without heavy rain...

 

Might get chaotic soon it that doesn't stop, though hopefully will end next month..

[ratcatcher]

3 hours ago, bangkokheat said:

we need another songkram

The Thai word for war is  สงคราม ;  sŏng-kraam ;.  (close)

They have the tanks now and given time maybe in the next few months we will have your wish.Just need an enemy.

[johnarth]

got to remember the weather expert who a couple of months before the rain started stated that because of the (so-called) global warming Thailand will not have rain for one and a half years, wonder what job he has now?

[mrmicbkktxl]

1 hour ago, Formaleins said:

Who do they have left to blame for it this time? 

Yingluk

[Jonnapat]

A bit late now for flooding on the 2011 scale. That year Nakhon Sawan was inundated in the first week of September.

Coming to the end of the rainy season now so chances are that although some areas are seriously affected it hopefully won't turn into another disaster.

A certain amount of river overflow is always needed to top up the many irrigation channels which farmers rely on during the long dry season