Water Drainage in Bangkok and Nearby Provinces Adjusted in Line with the Changing Situation

(27/11/2011)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that water drainage in Bangkok and six surrounding provinces was being adjusted, as the direction of the flood had changed. Therefore, relevant authorities needed to come up with a new plan to drain flood waters. Speaking in her weekly program “Yingluck Government Meets the People,” broadcast on Radio Thailand and the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (Television Channel 11) on 26 November 2011, the Prime Minister revealed that she had assigned responsible officials from the Royal Irrigation Department to hold discussions with the Bangkok Governor and governors of the six nearby provinces in adjusting the water drainage plan. She said that some parts of the “Big Bag” flood barrier, comprising large sand bags, might be dismantled for greater efficiency in water drainage. At the same time, more water pumps must be installed in the adjacent provinces, where local people are suffering from the problem of stagnant water. Regarding the current flooding situation, the Prime Minister said that the situation in many flood-hit provinces has returned to normal, and that flood water in northern Bangkok is also decreasing. The Royal Irrigation Department has accelerated water drainage into the Chao Phraya River through the Rangsit Canal. The move would ease the burden of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and reduce the risk of inundation in the inner districts of Bangkok. Prime Minister Yingluck also urged people in southern provinces to be alert to flash floods because of strong winds and strong tides in the Gulf of Thailand. The provinces include Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Trang, and Satun. The Prime Minister said that she had instructed the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation under the Ministry of Interior to closely monitor the situation to cope with possible flooding, especially in Songkhla, which might be affected by the water flow from Malaysia. The Ministry of Public Health, meanwhile, told the southern provinces to arrange mobile medical units in order to provide urgent health services to affected people. As the flood water has receded in many provinces, the Ministry of Public Health is organizing rehabilitation activities from November 27 to December 3, with Ayutthaya province as the venue for the launching of the campaign. Ayutthaya was chosen because it is regarded as one of Thailand’s major historical tourism centers and it was one of the locations worst-affected by this year's floods. The activities involve disease control, the improvement of sanitation, the safety of food and water, the rehabilitation of mental health, and the repair of damaged public health facilities.