Officials monitor Ping River to protect Chiang Mai’s downtown

A war room has been set up in Muang Chiang Mai to monitor the Ping River and ensure downtown Chaing Mai does not get inundated like it was in 2022, the provincial governor said.

Assanee Buranupakorn, mayor of Muang Chiang Mai Municipality, said an emergency centre had been set up at the Nawarat Bridge on Tuesday morning to monitor the level of Ping River.

The centre will keep an eye on the river round the clock and will coordinate with the Royal Irrigation Department and the Chiang Mai provincial administration to accelerate the flow of floodwaters into the river and prevent it from breaking its banks and flooding downtown Chiang Mai.

The Ping River originates from Doi Chiang Dao, Doi Inthanon, Doi Khun An and the Kung Tan Range and flows through Chiang Mai’s Chiang Dao, Mae Taeng and Muang districts to Lamphun.

On Tuesday morning, the water level at the P1 water station at the Nawarat Bridge stood at 3.35 metres, a little lower than the critical level of 3.70 metres.

Chiang Mai governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn said on Tuesday that the situation of the Ping River was still manageable because the provincial administration had ensured the water level was low for several days earlier by not releasing water from the Mae Ngad Somboon Dam into the river.

He said the river’s high level was contributed by floodwaters from Chiang Dao and Mae Rim districts, adding that the authorities have also reinforced flood levees along the river’s banks to prevent it from overflowing.

The governor also visited several local communities to assure them that the situation would not be as bad as in 2011 or even 2022, which was slightly less severe.

Meanwhile, Sitthisak Apikulchaisut, chief of Muang Chiang Mai district, said heavy continuous rainfall on Monday night had caused shallow floods in several villages in two subdistricts on Tuesday morning, as the sewers could not drain the rainwaters fast enough.