Royal Irrigation Department warns 11 provinces in the Chao Phraya basin to prepare for the Chao Phraya Dam increasing its water discharge from 1,500 to 2,000 cubic meters per second.
Mr. Decha Lekwichai, Deputy Director-General, acting as Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, issued a warning letter on the Chao Phraya Basin water situation, No. 9, dated September 25, to the governors of 11 Chao Phraya Basin provinces, namely Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Bangkok, to prepare for the water situation and notify relevant agencies and people living along both banks of the Chao Phraya River and the Noi River to watch out for rising water levels and closely monitor the water situation, as the amount of water in the upper areas flowing into the Chao Phraya Basin has been continuously increasing.
The Royal Irrigation Department predicts that in the next 1-7 days, the volume of water flowing thr
ough the C2 water measurement station in Nakhon Sawan Province will be approximately 2,000-2,100 cubic meters per second, combined with the Sideflow volume of approximately 150 cubic meters per second and water from the Sakae Krang River of 100 cubic meters per second, will cause the volume of water above the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat Province to rise by 2,350 cubic meters per second. Therefore, it is necessary to release water through the Chao Phraya Dam at a rate not exceeding 2,000 cubic meters per second, with increased drainage in a stepwise manner, which will cause the water level downstream of the dam in low-lying areas outside the embankment, such as Khlong Phong Pheng, Ang Thong Province, Khlong Bang Ban, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, and Tambon Hua Wiang, Sena District, Tambon Lat Chit, Tambon Tha Din Daeng, Phak Hai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, to rise by another 1-1.50 meters, and may affect community areas.
The Noi River continues to rise for the second
time. In Ang Thong
Province, workers constructing a stone dam along the Noi River in Tambon Phai Cham Sin, Amphoe Wiset Chai Chan, are rushing to finish the pile foundations of the stone dam in a race against the continuously rising water level. They will have to temporarily stop work if the water level rises to the point where they cannot work. This is after the water level in the Noi River rose for the second time this month and caused flooding in the construction area of ??the Ang Thong flood prevention system. Work may have to be temporarily suspended until the water level below the construction site recedes to prevent possible damage to the tools and equipment used in the dam construction. The rising water level means that the water level in the Noi River must be monitored 24 hours a day.
While the water level in the Chao Phraya River flowing through Ang Thong Province has risen by almost 1 meter in the past 24 hours after the Chao Phraya Dam increased the release of water downstream to accommodate water from the north, t
he latest data from the Central Irrigation Hydrology Center reported that the water level flowing through the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat Province is 1,498 cubic meters per second, causing the water level at the C7A Chonlamat Station, Office of the 12th Irrigation, in front of Ang Thong Provincial Hall, to be at 5.99 meters/MSL, an increase of 0.82 meters.
While the water level in the Mae Nam Noi River in Tambon Bang Chak, Amphoe Wiset Chai Chan is at 3.97 meters from the 5-meter water barrier, an increase of 0.30 meters, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Center of Ang Thong Province announced a warning on 28 September 2024 that the Chao Phraya Dam will increase the water discharge rate at a rate of 2,000 cubic meters per second, resulting in the water level in the Chao Phraya River rising by 1.00-1.50 meters. People in risk areas are asked to closely monitor the situation.
Source: Thai News Agency