Bangkok declared safe from floods

Bangkok Post

BANGKOK, Oct 17: Bangkok is safe, with the much-feared mass of water runoff from the North having moved past the capital, flood prevention agencies say. PLAY TIME ... Young monks splash water at Wat BuaKaewKesa in Pathum Thani The overall flood problem shows signs of easing, the government's flood relief centre announced yesterday. Most parts of Bangkok would definitely not be flooded, it added. Some low-lying areas to the east of the capital which are outside of flood protective barriers may experience rising water, but the flooding is being contained, says the Royal Irrigation Department. Affected areas include Klong Sam Wa, Lat Krabang, Min Buri and Nong Chok districts. But for the rest of Bangkok, residents could rest assured. The biggest bulk of accumulated water from upstream provinces had flowed past the capital and emptied into the sea, said Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut. He said the RID had forecast the mass of water would reach Bangkok on the weekend. At its peak on Saturday, the water level of the Chao Phraya River measured 2.29 metres, one centimetre below what the RID had predicted, at the Memorial Bridge. Flood water in other provinces will stabilise and gradually recede, he said. "I can confirm that the biggest water mass is behind us now," Mr Theera said, adding that the Chao Phraya River would not burst through flood walls protecting Bangkok. Yongsak Kongmak, of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, said flooding within flood-protected localities of Bangkok was the result of collected rainwater, not the northern water run-off. Bangkok has high-capacity sluice gates to control the ebb and flow of water during high tide. The 6km flood barrier along Khlong Hok Wa Sailang, which serves as the main defence for northernmost districts of Don Muang and Sai Mai, has been rebuilt. It was reported that the northern and eastern districts of Bangkok were particularly vulnerable to advancing water from Ayutthaya which has submerged communities and several industrial estates there. RID chief Chalit Damrongsak said yesterday the worst was over. But he cautioned that even though the water mass had drained into the sea, the water would not instantly disappear. This was because much of the water flooding the fields in some of Bangkok's surrounding provinces would slowly flow into the Chao Phraya River. Authorities are watching water from the flood-crippled Rojana and Hi-Tech industrial estates, fearing that it might overflow onto the Friendship highway in Bang Pa-in district of Ayutthaya. He thanked local residents for letting the RID divert excess water through sluice gates in Khlong Pad and Khlong Sib even though the operation subjected them to the nuisance of lingering flood waters. By doing so, the water would be pushed into the sea through rivers and canals in the eastern provinces, averting Bangkok.