Residents downstream of the Vajiralongkorn dam are bracing for a possible overflow of the Kwai Noi and Mae Klong rivers as they are receiving a large volume of floodwater from the dam in Kanchanaburi, according to a local source.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, which operates the dam, and the Royal Irrigation Department have jointly devised a water management system for the dam, which has reportedly been filling up quickly.
The floods unleashed by downpours from the tropical storm Son-Tinh last week have ravaged vast farmland and residential areas, particularly in the Sangkhla Buri district. The water stored in the dam, which is being monitored closely, is within a manageable level, the source said.
A panel analysing the water situation in the dam has resolved to increase the daily water discharge by up 5 million cubic metres until Sunday. The daily release now stands at 28 million cu/m a day. The dam flows into the two rivers, which could overflow with the increased water being discharged from the dam.
The provincial irrigation office has warned downstream residents on the river banks to prepare for this eventuality.
The governor of Kanchanaburi and the RID chief have been informed of the surging water and the threat it poses.
Meanwhile, Arun Pinta, chief of the Kanchanaburi disaster prevention and mitigation office, announced that the worst is over for the floods in Sangkhla Buri district, which drove many residents to take refuge in evacuation shelters.
The hardest-hit villages were Ban Saneh Pong and Ban Koh Saderng, where floods have since receded. In Ban Saneh Pong, about 40 people, mostly children, remained in the shelter while the the Sundaravej Border Patrol Police School is being cleaned up and is expected to reopen next Tuesday.
Ban Koh Saderng has seen occasional rainfall and local residents were in need of basic cooking ingredients and baby clothes. Six houses were destroyed and many flooded tracts of farmland are not fit for farming rice for the rest of the year.
Soldiers also removed heavy debris washed in by the floodwater which threatened to destabilise the landmark Saphan Bon wooden bridge in tambon Nong Lu.
In Tak, local authorities are assisting migrant workers from Myanmar who became stranded in Mae Sot district. They could not cross back to the flooded Myawaddy town.
