Military trucks on standby at 11 Bangkok districts to transport commuters

Colonel Sirichan Ngathong, spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Army, said the military trucks, which have been modified for transporting people, were sent to be on standby to Din Daeng, Saphan Sung, Chom Thong, Klong Toey, Para Khanong, Vadhana, Sathorn, Bang Bon, Bang Kae, Wang Thong Lang and Bueng Kum district offices.

Roads in the 11 districts were expected to be flooded again in case heavy downpours occur on Wednesday evening as forecast by the Thailand Meteorological Department, Sirichan said.

Sirichan said the military trucks would transport people from flooded main roads to a spot where they could conveniently continue their travel back home.

She said soldiers would be on standby to help commuters return home as soon as possible in case heavy downpours happen, resulting in floods again.

The soldiers will work in coordination with district offices and traffic police. The Royal Thai Police has instructed all police stations in Bangkok to be on standby Wednesday evening to help motorists on flooded roads.

Sirichan said the operation on Wednesday evening would be similar to what the Army had done on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Hours of heavy downpour caused flooding on several roads in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces on Tuesday night. The First Army Area deployed modified military trucks and troops from major mass transit stations to their communities or sois or to secondary roads, which helped transport commuters throughout Tuesday night until Wednesday morning.

Among several places, the military trucks operated from Lak Si Roundabout, Bang Khen and Wat Phra Si Mahathat stations of the BTS Green Line, Chaeng Wattana-Pak Kret Road and Muang Thong Thani.

She said four military trucks were sent to help transport commuters to work on Wednesday morning from the Lak Si roundabout, Saphan Mai Market and Soi Ram Indra 39, where roads were inundated.

Apart from providing trucks to transport commuters, the Army also provided teams from the engineering corps to help fix vehicles, whose engines broke down because of the floods. The teams also helped remove vehicles, which could not be fixed at the spot, from the roads as soon as possible.

Some teams of soldiers were also dispatched to help Bangkok city officials to drain floodwater from roads as soon as possible, the spokeswoman added.

She added that the Army has also been cooperating with the Bangkok Metropolitan Adminstration and volunteer groups, and the Marine Department to help dredge some canals and get rid of weeds so that floodwaters could flow into the sea faster.

On Wednesday, troops helped get rid of hyacinths at the Bang Na Watergate and dredged a canal in Bang Kae district, she said.

During the past two days, troops were deployed to collect garbage and get rid of weeds at several waterways in several Bangkok districts, including Klong Jullanak in Pom Prap district, a waterway in front of Lak Si Temple in Lak Si district, Klong Lad Yao and Klong Thung in Chatuchak district and Klong Nong Bua Ban in Bang Khen district, Sirichan said.