Flood Alert In Lower Chao Phraya River On October 9, 10

Flood alert in lower Chao Phraya River on October 9, 10

BANGKOK: -- Despite earlier assurances and serious preparations by national and municipal authorities, riverside residents of Thailand's lower Chao Phraya River provinces were warned Saturday to prepare for floods and to pitch in to build higher dykes and embankments along the rising river.

Seasonal high tides are expectedf to peak Monday and Tuesday (October 9 and 10), the Royal Irrigation Department said in a warning issued Saturday.

Local authorities were ordered to reinforce and heighten flood barriers along the river to prevent flooding as the capital region is threatened by rising floodwaters.

The department's water monitoring centre said the waterflow at the Chao Phraya Dam is 2,789 cubic metres per second, while at Ayutthaya's Bang Sai district it is faster at 3,338 cubic metres per second, increasing the water level in the Chao Phraya River from Chai Nat to the sea at Samut Prakan.

Phathum Thani and Nonthaburi provinces as well as areas outside the flood barriers of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) are especially at risk.

The centre asked that residents along the Chao Phraya River should help with the region's flood defenses.

--TNA 2006-10-07