The Royal Irrigation Department yesterday dismissed public concern over possible floods in Ayutthaya after Pa Sak Jolasid dam in neighbouring Lop Buri province began releasing excess water at a higher rate.
The department's director-general Thongplew Kongjun insisted that Pa Sak Jolasid dam is only 32% full, and the rest of its entire water retention capacity is available.
As of yesterday, inflow was estimated to be at 50.09 million cubic metres per day, while the water discharge rate was maintained at 23.40 million cu/m per day, he said.
This is expected to cause water levels in rivers downstream of Rama VI dam in Tha Rua, Nakhon Luang and Muang districts to rise by one metre. Riverside communities and floating restaurants have been warned about the impact of rising water levels.
However, it has not resulted in any floods so far, he said.
Increasing discharge rates from the dam is simply a measure to prepare more room for runoff from Phetchabun, where intense rainfall has been reported, he said.
Residents with concerns about rising water levels are encouraged to call the department's hotline number at 1460 for further information, he said.
The head of the Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Sanya Saengphumphong, said overall rainfall levels this year are not much different from 2017.
He said about 1.5 million rai of combined low-lying areas has been designated as water retention zones to prevent rainy season runoffs from flooding Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
In Chaiyaphum, a total of 63 villages in Bamnet Narong district and over 15,000 rai of farmland are affected by floods caused by the overflow from Lam Khan Chu reservoir, said Suchat Yucharoen, chief of the district office.
In Nakhon Phanom, delayed drainage is blamed on rising water levels on the Mekong River, which caused inundations across riverside communities.
Four districts in the province -- Ban Phaeng, Tha Uthen, Si Songkhram and That Phanom -- were reported to be most affected by floods.
In Kanchanaburi, the chief of Sangkhla Buri district office, Pakon Kanwanli, said evacuation is being planned for dozens of families which may have to be evacuated from their partially flooded homes, as water levels in Song Kalia river continues to rise by about 20 centimetres per day.
Meanwhile, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand invited a group of experts led by Martin Wieland, chairman of the Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design of the International Commission on Large Dams, to ensure the safety of Vajiralongkorn dam on Monday, as the dam has filled over 90% of its total water retention capacity.
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