Troops aid Phetchaburi flood victims

The areas were inundated on Monday night by excess water that had been discharged from Phetch Dam in Tha Yang district, said Colonel Sirichan Ngathong, deputy Army spokesman.
Steady rain during the past week had filled up the reservoirs in the province including that of Phetch Dam, which largely controls the amount of water in the upper part of the province, forcing them to drain some water downstream. 
On Monday, the department released 190 cubic metres of water from the dam before increasing the flow to 250 cubic metres yesterday, resulting in some lower parts of the province including Muang district getting inundated.
The department increased the flow of water from the dam yesterday over Monday’s release rate, resulting in some lower parts of the province including Muang district getting inundated.
Sandbags were piled up to prevent the river overflowing in some key locations including Phra Ram Rachaniwet Palace or Ban Puen Palace, he said.
Downtown, the Phetchaburi River burst its banks, sending water streaming into homes in a wider area. Some parts were submerged by as much as 50 centimetres, obstructing traffic.
Around 2,000 households have been affected. Several schools were forced to suspend classes for a few days.
Thongplew Kongchan, deputy director-general of the Irrigation Department, said the river would continue rising from discharges upstream and high tides. 
The department has installed pumps to help flush the water to the sea. 
It has issued warnings to agencies to watch over flood-prone riverbanks in several locations downstream especially in Muang district down to Ban Laem and reinforce them as they could. 
It has warned residents to closely monitor the situation for the next few days, as there are still torrential rains upstream. 
As forecast by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, downpours in the South will remain a concern for the next few days. It has warned residents to prepare for possible flooding. 
Besides Phetchaburi, at least three districts in Prachuap Khiri Khan province have been reportedly swamped by floods.