Phetchaburi town swamped as dam releases water, river overflows

Affected is the area between the overwhelmed Kaeng Krachan Dam, which is 109 per cent full, and the Phetch Dam. 
Most affected are resorts along the banks of the river. Due to recent heavy downpours, the Kaeng Krachan Dam was yesterday discharging 272 cubic metres of water per second into the river, which is only able to accommodate up to 150 cubic metres of water per second. 
 Below the dam, the Phetchaburi River runs through Tha Yang, Ban Lat, Muang and Ban Laem districts before draining into the sea.
Relevant authorities have been trying to ease flood woes by diverting some of the water into nearby canals. 
Locals, however, had been bracing for a possible inundation and the run-off has already swamped Phetcha-buri’s Muang district.
Kaeng Krachan Dam was one of the five big dams facing a critical water level yesterday, said Samrerng Saengpoowong, deputy secretary-general of the Office of National Water Resource (ONWR). 
The four other dams were Nam Oun Dam in Sakon Nakhon province (101 per cent full); Vajiralongkorn Dam in Kanchanaburi (90 per cent full); Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam in Nakhon Nayok (86 per cent), and Pran Buri Dam in Prachuap Khiri Khan (84 per cent). 
Downpours have been heavy between August 12 and 19 due to tropical storms. Up to 2.67 billion cubic metres of water flowed into major dams during the period. 
Border provinces along Mekong River were also in peril amid heavy downpours in Laos, with Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani on high alert for flooding. 
Nong Khai, a border province in the Northeast, was already flooded. Rubber plantations were ravaged by floodwaters in Nong Khai’s Rattana Wapee district, and police were busy helping locals move their belongings to higher ground at press time. 
Nong Khai town was also flooded, though officials were trying hard to pump out the floodwater. 
Meanwhile, eight other pro-vinces face varying levels of risk as heavy rains continue. They are Bueng Kan, Sakhon Nakhon, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ranong, Krabi, Trang and Satun. 
In Chanthaburi province, the medium-sized Khiri Khan reservoir was full.