RID needs 2-3 days to drain flooded Bangpoo industrial estate

The estate, which hosts 300 factories, remains under 50-100 centimetres of water.

The flooding has forced major manufacturers including Delta Electronics, which has three factories at Bangpoo, to suspend operations until waters drop to a safe level.

The RID said it was draining the floodwater into the Gulf of Thailand via canals and the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province.

Heavy rain and high sea levels triggered flooding of up to 1.5 metres at the estate on Sunday (August 29).

On Monday, RID chief Prapit Chanma said four Samut Prakan districts remain flooded – Bang Bo, Bang Phli, Bang Sao Thong, and Muang district. Flood levels range from 20–30cm, to 50cm in low-lying areas.

Six additional pumps at the Chonlaharn Phichit Pumping Station plus water pumps along nine coastal canals are draining at least 20 million cubic metres per day into the sea, the RID said.

Meanwhile, upstream water from the Phra Prachan Chayanuchit Canal is being redirected to the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province to protect Samut Prakan.

Songsak Chuenta, deputy director of Bangpoo Industrial Estate, said 11 pumps operating at the estate were now draining up to 70,000 cubic metres of water per hour.

Bangpoo Industrial Estate covers ​​5,472 rai, divided into general industrial zones (3,659 rai), free trade area (377 rai), residential and commercial area (149 rai), utility and facilities area (1,286 rai).

Somchet Thinaphong, a former Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand governor, said the estate rarely flooded in the past.

He said there were two reasons for the increased frequency of flooding in recent years.

First, was the shallowness of nearby canals – Khlong Lam Salat and Khlong Praeksa – that drain water into the Gulf of Thailand. Pressure on drainage capacity had also been increased by residential expansion around the industrial estate, Somchet added .

The second reason is the tidal bore, which delays drainage into the sea, he said.