Chao Phraya II canal running through Ayutthaya on track, says official

Sermchai Siawsirithaworn, director of the Royal Thai Irrigation Department’s Large Water Resources Development Institute, said the project, dubbed Chao Phraya II, is moving smoothly and will be completed as scheduled.

This canal will tackle the yearly flooding in the heart of Ayutthaya’s Muang district by diverting water released by the Chao Phraya Dam. The canal is also expected to reduce flooding in other areas of the lower Chao Phraya basin.

The project’s key features are:

• Located in the Sanam Chai subdistrict of Ayutthaya’s Bang Sai district.

• The 22.50km canal is 200 metres wide, but width reduces to 110m when passing through residential areas.

• There will be an 8m-wide road on either side of the canal.

• A floodgate will be built at the end of the canal.

• Project costs 21 billion baht.

The project is expected to:

• Drain up to 2,930 cubic metres of water per second.

• Mitigate flooding in downtown Ayutthaya and up to 2.5 million farms in the lower Chao Phraya basin.

• Reduce flooding in other parts of Ayutthaya province.

• Irrigate some 229,000 rai of farms in the region.

• Provide 15 million cubic metres of water for consumption.

“Once the canal is ready, it will play a key role in the management of water resources in the Chao Phraya basin,” he said, adding that the drainage will also prevent the river from overflowing.

The director added that fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing Russia-Ukraine has not affected the project so far, and the cost of construction has remained more or less unchanged.