Chao Phraya residents warned to brace for floods

The National Water Command Centre warned on Wednesday that rising sea levels during the period would affect Chao Phraya communities from 7pm to 10pm.

The Royal Irrigation Department previously announced it would drain between 1,000 to 1,250 cubic metres per second of water from the Chao Phraya Dam.

The centre expected water levels during the period to be around 1.9 to 2.1 metres high from mean sea level. It will affect communities in the capital, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has teamed up with the Royal Thai Army to prepare for flooding in Bangkok, the centre reported.

They will remove garbage at pumping stations and drainage areas, dredge canals, and help residents affected by any flooding, according to the centre.

It also announced that 30 households in Mueang Loei district have been affected by floods. The situation will return to normal in three days if there is no more rain.

Some 610 rai in Chaiyaphum’s Khon San district and 429 rai in Khon Kaen’s Chumphae district were also affected by flooding, with water expected to recede, the centre said.

It said that from Wednesday to Friday fewer rains with isolated thundershowers are likely in upper Thailand, while isolated heavy showers could occur in the South. Waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand are roughly 1 metre high but will rise above this level in areas experiencing thundershowers.

However, from Saturday to Monday, more showers are likely across the country, with isolated heavy rain possible in the North, the East and the South’s west coast.