Defence of west part of Chao Phraya in jeopardy
Defences shielding the centre of Bangkok from a
combination of floodwaters from the North and high tides from the South
mostly held at critical peak tides on Saturday, but many suburban city
districts remained submerged.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in her weekly radio address that the floods would be gone in a month. She urged city residents to let the floods take the course so waters would drain to the sea.
At 9am on Saturday and again just after the 6pm sunset, high tides pushed up the Chao Phyraya River, meeting the floods from the North right at Bangkok. And the intricate, makeshift system of watergates, floodgates, dams and hastily erected dykes largely held.
Some water doused streets and shops along the riverside. But the tides were short of the highs predicted by the Royal Thai Navy. No major breaches were reported.
Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Grand Palace and located right at the river bank, remained open for tourists. Some streets around the palace flooded at high tide, and water seeped into the grounds, but no major problem occurred inside the landmark.
High tides will last until Monday, but are predicted to be even lower than Saturday's.
Adisak Kantee, deputy director of the drainage department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration put it succinctly if optimistically: "The situation is under control."
Ms Yingluck said in her radio address that the government was trying to speed the drainage rate and water in the greater Bangkok area should recede within days.
The situation got worse in some of the Bangkok districts, particularly north of the city. The government's Flood Relief Operations Centre (Froc) had to move out of Don Mueang airport after the floods caused a power transformer to malfunction.
Earlier report: All of Thon Buri faces inundation
The entire Thon Buri area is expected to be submerged within three days due to signs that northern runoff could overwhelm attempts by City Hall and irrigation officials to defend the western part of the Chao Phraya River.
With floodwater levels rising by between 50cm and 1m, Chainat Niyomthoon, deputy director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Drainage and Sewage, expected the water to eventually overflow several canals including Khlong Maha Sawat in Thawi Watthana district.
"We have received information about high water levels in several canals, particularly Khlong Maha Sawat, a main canal in the Thon Buri area," Mr Chainat said yesterday.
The BMA and navy were jointly installing 180 sheet piles to reinforce the dyke along Maha Sawat canal but the water level appeared to be too much to handle.
That prompted Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra to announce last night that residents living in all areas of Thawi Watthana should immediately evacuate to higher ground.
Thawi Watthana is the fourth district in Bangkok where people have been ordered to leave their homes, besides Don Muang, Bang Phlat and Sai Mai.
At 9am on Saturday and again just after the 6pm sunset, high tides pushed up the Chao Phyraya River, meeting the floods from the North right at Bangkok. And the intricate, makeshift system of watergates, floodgates, dams and hastily erected dykes largely held.
Some water doused streets and shops along the riverside. But the tides were short of the highs predicted by the Royal Thai Navy. No major breaches were reported.
Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Grand Palace and located right at the river bank, remained open for tourists. Some streets around the palace flooded at high tide, and water seeped into the grounds, but no major problem occurred inside the landmark.
High tides will last until Monday, but are predicted to be even lower than Saturday's.
Adisak Kantee, deputy director of the drainage department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration put it succinctly if optimistically: "The situation is under control."
Ms Yingluck said in her radio address that the government was trying to speed the drainage rate and water in the greater Bangkok area should recede within days.
The situation got worse in some of the Bangkok districts, particularly north of the city. The government's Flood Relief Operations Centre (Froc) had to move out of Don Mueang airport after the floods caused a power transformer to malfunction.
Earlier report: All of Thon Buri faces inundation
The entire Thon Buri area is expected to be submerged within three days due to signs that northern runoff could overwhelm attempts by City Hall and irrigation officials to defend the western part of the Chao Phraya River.
With floodwater levels rising by between 50cm and 1m, Chainat Niyomthoon, deputy director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Drainage and Sewage, expected the water to eventually overflow several canals including Khlong Maha Sawat in Thawi Watthana district.
"We have received information about high water levels in several canals, particularly Khlong Maha Sawat, a main canal in the Thon Buri area," Mr Chainat said yesterday.
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The BMA and navy were jointly installing 180 sheet piles to reinforce the dyke along Maha Sawat canal but the water level appeared to be too much to handle.
That prompted Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra to announce last night that residents living in all areas of Thawi Watthana should immediately evacuate to higher ground.
Thawi Watthana is the fourth district in Bangkok where people have been ordered to leave their homes, besides Don Muang, Bang Phlat and Sai Mai.
Carefree and cheerful, children enjoy floodwater which turns the
underpass at the Bang Phlat intersection into a swimming poollike zone.
Nearby Charan SanitwongRoad wasflooded byoverflow from the Chao Phraya
River after parts of the embankmentcollapsed. PATTARACHAI PREECHAPANICH
Apart from Khlong Maha Sawat, the southern railway track, which runs parallel to the canal, is another barrier to prevent floodwaters going downstream.
But Chaiyaporn Promsuwan, director of the Irrigation Office's Phra Pimol irrigation project, said the track, which is 3m above sea level, could be inundated and was unable to shield Thon Buri from flooding.
"The southern track may not be able to withstand [the massive volume of floodwater] in the next two to three days. This will result in heavy flooding in Bangkok's Thon Buri and adjacent areas in Nakhon Pathom," Mr Chaiyaporn said.
If floodwaters managed to breach the southern track, the lower part of Bangkok would be badly hit, he added.
"Severe damage will happen if people are not evacuated from the area before anticipated floods arrive," he warned.
Powerful floodwaters from Vibhavadi Rangsit Road hit the fence and comebursting into the compound ofDon Mueang airport. PATTANAPONGHIRUNAD
Meanwhile, the Flood Relief Operations Command last night said five locations have been set aside as gathering points for people leaving the areas.
They are the Thailand-Japan Stadium in Din Daeng, Fashion Island on Rarm Intra Road, Holland Beer on Rama II Road, the Mall department store in Bang Khae and Wat Sri Iem in Bang Na.
People should gather there before being sent to shelters, or transported to other provinces if they do not want to stay in Bangkok, Froc spokesman Thongthong Chandarangsu said.
The BMA has designated an area under the Vacharapol expressway and Wat Phra Si Maha That as two gathering points for residents affected by flooding in Bang Khen district before they are evacuated to shelter centres.
The gathering point beneath the expressway was for flood victims from the Tha Raeng area while Wat Phra Si Maha That was for residents living in the Anusawari area, Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said after inspecting the flood level at Ying Charoen market.
Several areas in Bang Khen district have been inundated, forcing residents to leave their houses to take refuge at nine shelter centres in the district.
The BMA has sped up the drainage of water from Khlong Song canal in Sai Mai district through other canals in the adjacent Bang Khen district before draining it to the Chao Phraya River.
The Bangkok governor said Anusawari and Tha Raeng had been affected by flooding. The two areas accounted for 20% of Bang Khen district.
The BMA has placed Bang Khen under special watch as a huge amount of the northern runoff was flowing into the district, MR Sukhumbhand said.
The flooding in Bangkok is still worrisome as the water level of the Chao Phraya River is expected to rise to between 2.5-2.6 metres above sea level today as a result of high sea tides.
Deep floodwaters near theBoromratchonnanee elevated road force manycity people to shift theirmodeof travel to boats. APICHARTJINAKUL
Irrigation workers start to create a floodway near Liap Khlong Rangsit Road for northern runoff before it is diverted to the eastern side of Bangkok. APICHIT JINAKUL
A medical staff member relocates patients out of the evacuation centre at Mahidol University as floodwaters threaten to enter its compound. CHANAT KATANYU
Runoff from the North floods Salaya Road in front of Mahidol University at Salaya campus in Nakhon Pathom. CHANAT KATANYU
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/263706/all-of-thon-buri-faces-inundation
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