Flooding in Ayutthaya to worsen; heavy rain expected
The flooding situation in Ayutthaya may worsen as the mass of water from three rivers will arrive in the province in the next three to seven days, Governor Witthaya Piewpong said Thursday.
Most of the area, including historic temples and venues, is under water.
The governor said the water level in the province is likely to increase by about half a metre in the next three to seven days as the water mass from the Lopburi, Pasak and Chao Phraya rivers arrives.
To brace for the worsened flooding, the governor ordered the elevation and reinforcement of dykes to a level of one metre from the current height of 50 centimetres and the repair of damaged dykes, of which about 60 per cent have been breached by flood water.
Local residents have been warned to move their belongings to higher ground and be ready to evacuate when the authorities issue warnings.
The floodwater is so high that it entered a provincial prison, forcing the authorities to move the prisoners to the second floor. The authority planned to evacuate the prisoners to prisons in other provinces including Bangkok.
Bangpahan Hospital in the province has been forced to close temporarily after the water at the hospital entrance rose to about 1.5 meters. The 16 in-patients were moved by boat on Wednesday night.
The Provincial rescue centre cancelled its plan to evacuate local residents to a provincial stadium as floodwater has already reached the stadium’s outer compound. The water level is so high that it could enter the stadium soon.
Meanwhile in Tak province, water from the Ping River overflowed into two sub-districts and about 100 households have been evacuated. The governor ordered the provincial officials to be vigilant. The Ping River continues to rise after the Bhumibol Dam in Tak released excess water.
In Nakhon Sawan, the Ping River overflowed, flooding homes, many of them now under one metre of water. Local authorities are reinforcing earthen dykes and residents have moved their belongings to higher ground.
In Kamphaeng Phet, the authorities are reinforcing sandbag embankments and earthen dykes as the water released from the Bhumibol dam was expected to arrive in the Ping River around noon on Thursday.
In Bangkok, heavy rain overnight triggered flooding on the inbound Vibhavadi Road from Don Mueang to Kasetsart University, as a critical pump for the Bangkhen canal is out of order and cannot drain water from the road into the canal. Some 60-80 centimetres of water on the road damaged about 100 cars, pickup trucks and motorcycles and the road became impassable for small vehicles. A four-kilometre traffic jam along Vibhavadi Road was reported.
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra inspected the situation this morning and said a new pump is being installed.
The Meteorological Department has warned of scattered to fairly widespread rain and isolated heavy rain in the Central, the lower Northeast, the East and the South West-coast regions. Severe heavy rain is likely during the next one or two days.
Strong winds and waves in the Andaman Sea are expected to reach 2-3 metres in height. All ships should proceed with caution and small boats should stay ashore.
