Bangkok Braces For Earlier Floods

[george]

Bangkok braces for earlier floods

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has implemented several measures in preparation for flooding, expected earlier in the rainy season this year, said a senior official.

The BMA has dredged 102 canals and 117 channels, flowing to the sea in the eastern provinces, said Bangkok Deputy Governor Bannasophit Mekwichai.

Twenty-one water storage sites have been prepared in community areas and public parks, she said, and more than 1,600 water pumps have been installed in flood prone areas and sluices.

Measurement gauges have been installed on 21 main streets in the capital, she said.

More than four million sandbags were put in place along the Chao Phraya River as an embankment to prevent floods in low-lying areas in metropolitan Bangkok

More rainfall is expected this year due to global warming. The amount of rain each year is forecast to rise to 1,800-1,900 mm. from 1,500 mm. on average.

Flood drainage from the north and high tides can also cause floods in the capital.

--TNA 2007-06-25