Cable thefts in Nakhon Pathom makes water pumps of drain canal inoperable
Top ministry official visits site, warns of flooding danger if pumps cannot be operated
The top official at the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry inspected two water gates of a main canal for draining floodwaters from the North in Nakhon Pathom province following complaints that power cables of water pumps there had been stolen for a year.
Ministry permanent secretary Prayoon Insakul said he had received a complaint from former Nonthaburi MP Pananat Sri-insut that water pumps at water gates of Phra Phimon Racha Canal were inoperable due to theft of power cables.
Prayoon led a delegation of officials to check the water gates on Wednesday.
The former MP expressed concerns that if the water pumps could not be used, residents of Nonthaburi could suffer from severe flooding when massive floodwaters from the North reach the province via the Chao Phraya River.
The canal in Nakhon Pathom’s Bang Lane district is 31 kilometres long and it connects Chao Phraya in Nonthaburi to Tha Chin River in Nakhon Pathom.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the water gates at the two ends of the canal, Prayoong said he had found that all the electricity cables for the water pump system had been stolen since last year.
He said if the water pumps were not repaired, residents of both Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom could face flooding in September when the upstream floodwaters arrived.
Prayoon said he would have the Irrigation Department repair the pumps as soon as possible.
