Thamanat orders RID to speed up draining of floodwaters in 4 central provinces

Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompao has ordered the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) to accelerate the drainage of floodwaters from rice fields in four central provinces to enable farmers to resume paddy planting, according to RID officials.

Speeding Up Floodwater Drainage

To expedite the drainage process, the 12th RID office has installed over 70 water pumps across the five provinces of Suphan Buri, Sing Buri, Chainat, Angthong, and Uthai Thani. These pumps are designed to remove and push floodwaters out of the affected areas, helping to restore the fields for planting.

Prime Minister’s Visit and Apology to Flood Victims

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited flood victims in Angthong and Ayutthaya. He apologised for the extended use of their rice fields to retain floodwater for more than four months, compared to the usual two or three months in previous years. Anutin assured the affected communities that Agriculture Minister Thamanat would address the flood issue in the four Chao Phraya basin provinces as quickly as possible.

Floodwaters Flowing Downstream

The heavy downpours from several storm remnants over the past few weeks have caused continued flooding in northern Thailand, with floodwaters flowing downstream into the Chao Phraya River. As a result, the river has become bloated, prompting authorities to divert water to rice fields in Suphan Buri, Chainat, Sing Buri, and Angthong to mitigate the impact on economic zones, particularly Bangkok and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Measures to Minimise Impact on Downstream Areas

With the floodwaters from the late rainy season continuing to flow into the Chao Phraya Dam in Chainat, the RID was instructed to consider measures to minimise the impact on downstream areas. On Thursday, the RID reported that the Chao Phraya River was flowing at a rate of 3,011 cubic metres per second at the C.2 station in Nakhon Sawan.

The water level was further augmented by water from the Sakae Krung River before reaching the Chao Phraya Dam.

The RID maintained the discharge rate at the Chao Phraya Dam at 2,900 cubic metres per second. Additionally, the discharge rate from the Pa Sak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri was reduced to 200 cubic metres per second. The RID also diverted water through the Phra Ram 6 Dam to the Rapiphat Canal, the Nakhon Nayok River, and the Bang Pakong River, eventually reaching the Gulf of Thailand to minimise the impact of upstream floodwaters.

Installing Water Pumps in Four Provinces

The 12th RID office has installed 70 water pumps in the four provinces as follows:

• Suphan Buri (Pho Phraya and Sam Chuk districts): 34 pumps
• Angthong: 12 pumps
• Sing Buri and Chainat: 26 pumps
• Uthai Thani: 2 pumps

All pumps are operating at full capacity to divert water from rice fields into irrigation canals.

Flooded Areas in the Chao Phraya Basin

Meanwhile, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) released satellite images from the THEOS-1 satellite on Wednesday, showing that 2,441,484 rai of land in the middle and lower Chao Phraya basin are currently flooded. The flooded areas include:

• Ayutthaya: 405,067 rai across 12 districts, including Sena, Phak Hai, Bang Bal, and Mueang
• Suphan Buri: 323,144 rai in Bang Pla Ma, Song Phi Nong, and Mueang districts
• Angthong: 2,932 rai in Pa Mok district
• Nakhon Pathom: 82,674 rai in Bang Lane district