Sing Buri residents face evacuation as Chao Phraya level rises
Thailand's disaster agency issued a Cell Broadcast evacuation alert for Hua Pa in Sing Buri after water from the Chao Phraya River flowed beneath a flood embankment.
- An urgent evacuation warning has been issued for residents in the Hua Pa subdistrict of Sing Buri after water from the Chao Phraya River flowed under a flood embankment.
- Vulnerable people, including the elderly and children, have been urged to move to safe locations immediately, while all residents were told to relocate vehicles and valuables.
- The rising water level is due to an increased discharge from the Chao Phraya Dam, which is expected to raise the river by 40-70 centimetres in low-lying areas.
- The warning in Sing Buri is part of a wider alert for ten provinces and Bangkok along the Chao Phraya basin, with authorities preparing for potential flooding.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) issued an urgent evacuation warning on Friday (October 2) for residents of Hua Pa subdistrict in Phrom Buri district, Sing Buri, after water from the Chao Phraya River flowed beneath a flood embankment near Village 1.
People in at-risk areas, particularly older people, patients and children, were urged to move to safe locations immediately. Residents were also told to relocate vehicles and valuables and to contact subdistrict headmen, village headmen or community leaders if they needed assistance.
The DDPM worked with mobile network operators Advanced Info Service (AIS), True and National Telecom (NT) to send the flood warning through the Cell Broadcast system to residents in Hua Pa.
Ten provinces and Bangkok on alert
The evacuation warning followed an earlier DDPM alert for 10 provinces in the Chao Phraya basin and Bangkok over rising water levels, particularly in low-lying areas outside flood embankments.
Nirat Pongsitthithaworn, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the Royal Irrigation Department expected the flow at the C.2 monitoring station in Mueang Nakhon Sawan district to peak at about 3,010 cubic metres per second on October 2.
With additional inflows from tributaries increasing the volume of water above Chao Phraya Dam, the department said it would be necessary to release 2,200–2,500 cubic metres per second downstream.
The higher discharge could raise water levels in vulnerable low-lying areas by about 40–70 centimetres.
The provinces under surveillance are:
- Uthai Thani
- Chai Nat
- Sing Buri
- Ang Thong
- Suphan Buri
- Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
- Lop Buri
- Pathum Thani
- Nonthaburi
- Samut Prakan
- Bangkok
Low-lying riverside areas face higher water
Areas requiring particular monitoring include:
- Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya: Sena, Phak Hai, Bang Ban, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Bang Pa-in and Bang Sai districts
- Ang Thong: Wiset Chai Chan, Pa Mok, Chaiyo and Mueang Ang Thong districts
- Sing Buri: In Buri, Phrom Buri and Mueang Sing Buri districts
- Chai Nat: Sapphaya district
The DDPM said communities protected by flood embankments were not expected to be affected by the higher discharge.
The DDPM has instructed authorities in the 10 provinces and Bangkok to monitor conditions closely and warn residents and businesses along the Chao Phraya and Noi rivers, particularly those in low-lying areas outside flood embankments.
Regional disaster prevention centres have also been told to prepare personnel, machinery, emergency vehicles and crisis-response teams for deployment if conditions worsen or flooding spreads. They have also been instructed to support the establishment of temporary shelters and provide assistance to affected residents.
