Governors ordered to set up flood prevention and assistance centres
The Interior Ministry yesterday ordered governors of provinces nationwide except in the South to set up flood prevention and alleviation centres to deal with ongoing flooding in many provinces.The order was issued by Interior Ministry permanent secretary
Krissada stated in the order that floodwaters from the Yom River basin and Ping River basin had moved downstream to the Chao Phraya River basin down in Chainat, Lop Buri and Angthong.
He said many provinces were experiencing two types of floods – runoff triggered by heavy downpours and the bloated Chao Phraya bursting its banks.The order asked provincial adminis¬trations to set up flood prevention and alleviation command centres so that assistance could be sent to flood victims urgently.
Krissada also instructed the provincial governors, district chiefs, tambon and village leaders to frequently check the water situation in their jurisdiction and visit local people frequently so that help could be sent out in time.The provincial administration officials were also instructed to closely coordinate with the local offices of the Irrigation Department and the Meteorological Department so that they could effectively manage water flows through the opening and closing of flood sluice gates to cope with the current flood situation.
Provinces that have not been hit by floods were ordered to monitor the situation closely and to coordinate with other agencies by using information technology to assess the situation so that local people could be warned in time if the provinces were in danger of flooding.
Krissada also instructed the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Deparment to coordinate will all provinces and other government agencies concerned to provide water pumps for draining the floodwaters.At Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi’s Pakkret district, heavy downpours since Saturday night caused the last community area to be inundated in 70cm deep water.The floods made the roads in the large housing estate impassable, affecting more than 1,000 residents of the area as well as students of Sukhothai Thammathiraj Open University who attended the rehearsal of their graduation ceremony.
Por Tek Tueng Foundation workers had to use five trucks to shuttle the students and residents of the estate.Meanwhile, the Chao Phraya burst its banks to flood the Pamok district market in Angthong yesterday. The administration said at least 420 houses in Pamok, Muang Angthong, and Wiset Chaicharn districts were hit by floods.