Bangkok Prepared For Torrential Rain

[george]

BMA says capital prepared for torrential rain

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday expressed confidence that the dykes along the Chao Phya River and the capital's irrigation system could handle the northern run-off and seasonal high tides.

Heavy downpours over the past few days flooded many areas but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Drainage and Sewage Department pumped the water out and restored the city to normal, he said.

For northern areas, the city is working closely with nearby provinces and the Irrigation Department to ensure that upstream dams release 1,700 cubic metres per second (cmps) of water, because the flood barriers along the Chao Phya can withstand 2,500cmps, he added.

Despite the flooding in the northern districts, Apirak said that - judging from the reservoir levels at the Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit, Bhumipol Dam in Tak and Pasak Cholasit Dam in Lop Buri - he believed they would not severely threaten Bangkok.

For eastern areas, agencies have been instructed to control water release so that much less of the area is submerged than last year.

The city has also cooperated with the Irrigation Department to build a sluice gate to empty water into the Bang Prakong River, while the opening and closing of the Khlong Lat Pho sluice gate has been adjusted to the natural tidal rhythm.

Irrigation Department spokesman Boonsanong Suchatpong said the flow of the Chao Phya in Nakhon Sawan was expected to increase to 1,700cmps out of the capacity of 3,200cmps in the two to three days following the week's downpours.

That means the Chao Phya Dam in Chai Nat will see 1,700cmps of water passing through it towards Bangkok, he said.

However, the department will restrict water releases from the Pasak Cholasit Dam so that the volume passing through the Rama VI Dam is minimised.

The department will also ask Bhumipol Dam to discharge only one million cubic metres of water per day instead of the current rate of three million.

--The Nation 2007-10-14

[AGareth2]

I hope the rains stop soon. Too much water is killing my plants!

Feels like the cool season is coming.

[lazeeboy]

I hope the rains stop soon. Too much water is killing my plants!

Feels like the cool season is coming.

does'nt feel like it ,its already here ,sitting here without a fan on wearing jeans ,unheard of in my house ,really cool ......

[Scott]

Crapola! I am in hot Arizona for a couple of weeks and I hate heat. I don't like it in BKK and I don't like it here! So, of course as soon as I leave, it gets cool there and hot here!

[Tony Clifton]

First time I see this in four years. Rained so hard yesterday in our moo ban, water went all the way up our car park, about 4 inches, flowed over sidewalks. The drainage system couldn't keep up. Later on, after the water disappeared I found a 6 in. long fish flopping around the carpark. Never thought they lived down there.

[VocalNeal]

First time I see this in four years. Rained so hard yesterday in our moo ban, water went all the way up our car park, about 4 inches, flowed over sidewalks. The drainage system couldn't keep up. Later on, after the water disappeared I found a 6 in. long fish flopping around the carpark. Never thought they lived down there.

I have heard stories of traffic coming to a standstill on a flooded Srinakarin while driver chased around and caught fish that had been washed out of strom drains.

[TAWP]

We have fishes that migrate (crawls) from ponds to ponds each year when it floods (and some of them get trapped in wrong turns/us removing the water).