Seven downstream provinces brace for flooding today

[webfact]

Seven downstream provinces brace for flooding today

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The government yesterday warned of rising water in the Chao Phraya river in seven downstream provinces.

 

The government yesterday warned people living and businesses locating along the Chao Phraya river banks in seven downstream provinces to get ready for evacuation as water level will rise to almost one metre high from today as more water is being discharged from Chao Phraya dam after water storage is reaching critical level.

 

The seven provinces warned are Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphanburi, Lopburi, and Ayutthaya.

 

Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said warning was issued after persistent heavy downpours in the country’s upper region has resulted in the rise in the water level in the Chao Phraya dam.

 

It was forecast that by today water flowing into the dam will be 2,800 cubic metres a second, thus prompting  irrigation officials the need  to discharge excess water out by 2,300 cubic metres from earlier 2,000 cubic metres a second.

 

The increase in water discharge will raise water level downstream up by 25-75 centimetres, he said.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/seven-downstream-provinces-brace-flooding-today/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-10-10

[webfact]

Government assures water situation manageable

  

BANGKOK, 10 October 2016 (NNT) – The government has made known that water rates flowing from the north along the Chao Phraya River have normalized and should pose no threat to Bangkok but has assured reparations have been prepared for communities affected by overflowing waterways.

Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Gen Chatchai Sarikalya has pointed out the national water situation is not a cause of concern with all areas under the care of the Royal Irrigation Department under no threat. Acknowledging that some areas beyond the scope of the department have seen inundation, Gen Chatchai said his ministry has prepared reparation proposals to be tabled to the Cabinet. 

The minister stated dam release rates have normalized with the Chao Phraya Dam releasing 2,270 square meters a second, posing no threat to Bangkok. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered all relevant agencies prepare to address both flooding and drought as well as to provide relief to citizens. He has instructed that as this year’s water supply has exceeded capacity, releases should be done carefully.

 

-- nnt 2016-10-10

[SOTIRIOS]

...really hard to follow all of these conflicting reports.....

[Pimay1]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered all relevant agencies prepare to address both flooding and drought as well as to provide relief to citizens.

Reminds me of times passed.

[thaiowl]

More water management brilliance from the RID, just like in 2011.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered all relevant agencies prepare to address both flooding

RUN for high ground!

[anon4546543]

I live in Kabinburi and the rainfall for the last 2 weeks has been massive. I believe that Thailand urgently needs more dams and overflow dams which drain water away through canals. It is expected that massive monsoons will increase towards the end of every year and dry/drought conditions will increase from Jan to May,June. A practical dams policy can reduce the impact of flooding and aid farmers during the dry season. IMHO 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I may be stupid,and have the wrong end of all this,but i thought we were promised that there would be absolutely no floods this year.

[Sphere]

[chiang mai]

3 hours ago, thaiowl said:

More water management brilliance from the RID, just like in 2011.

 

The problem of course is gravity, the North being at a higher elevation than the South, if only we knew how to push water uphill!

[DeepInTheForest]

2 hours ago, spiderorchid said:

I live in Kabinburi and the rainfall for the last 2 weeks has been massive. I believe that Thailand urgently needs more dams and overflow dams which drain water away through canals. It is expected that massive monsoons will increase towards the end of every year and dry/drought conditions will increase from Jan to May,June. A practical dams policy can reduce the impact of flooding and aid farmers during the dry season. IMHO 

Ah, the inevitable. A call for new dams.

You would think that the dams we have already built would have prevented flooding-- after all, that was a big selling point. Of course, the solution posited is to create more dams. Assumedly we will eventually get a leg up on mother nature as reservoir capacity increases to some undefined point.

 

But there is increasing evidence that dams not only may be ineffective in many cases in preventing flooding, but actually exacerbate the problem. They also have long-term costs that call into question their financial viability.

http://issues.org/24-1/workman/

One dynamic is that during flood times, dams must release water in a hurry to avoid being structurally compromised.

Downstream damage is often worse because dams create a false sense of security in terms of new construction on the floodplain.

http://energyskeptic.com/2013/dams-last-100-200-years-make-floods-worse-an-environmental-disaster-most-will-soon-be-past-their-lifespan/

A speculative study from Chile suggests the possibility that dam reservoirs create the conditions for increased numbers of rain events and thunderstorms due to evaporation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20663875

The lifetime of dams averages only 50-100 years, because of sediment buildup behind them (.5% to 1% per year). That sediment is denied to downstream estuaries, which leads to greater erosion. The absence of flow from upstream also increases salinization. Both are observed in the Mekong delta in Vietnam. 

Dams in tropical areas have greater downsides in terms of global warming gas emissions-- which lead to greater rainfall, and greater flooding.

http://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/dams-accused-role-flooding-research-paper-dams-and-floods

There is also increasing recognition that flood events are part of the normal life cycle of biological systems that humans rely on. The fish who have adapted to flooding in the Tonle Sap are just one example in the SE Asia region.

 

We may be better served by adapting to the flood cycle-- allowing areas for overspill of the river's banks during flood times, avoiding construction in or elevating our buildings in the floodplain, devising water-borne transport for flood events, and so on.

https://charlesrangeleywilson.com/2015/12/19/why-dredging-makes-flooding-worse/

And the need for the elimination of carbon emissions has become more clear than ever.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2016 by DeepInTheForest

[nong38]

Water management of the highest order, pass it on, downstream.

[FredNL]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

releasing 2,270 square meters a second

 

Do they still don't know the difference between square meters and cubic meters ???

Or is it that only Thailand can release 2,270 square meters per second ???

[Kiwiken]

Lets hope it is not as bad as 2011 those affected Provinces took some time to recover. And a lot of hardship was endured