Heavy storms bog down Bangkok

The French Embassy in Bangkok has issued a travel warnings for its citizens residing in Thailand, recommending against all but essential travel to flood-hit areas. According to a statement on the embassy’s website, French citizens are advised to avoid flood-hit provinces such as Phitsanulok, Phichit, Prachinburi and Sakaew. A series of particularly strong seasonal storms brought heavy rainfall over the last two weeks causing extensive flooding in some provinces. However, with the excepion of Phitsanulok and Sakaew, most of the areas are not on tourist circuits. It further stated that the flooding has not hampered transportation, and essential services in the affected regions are operating normally. The embassy urges its citizens to contact its office in Bangkok for more information or to log on to http://www.ambafrance-th.org/Conseils-aux-voyageurs. Meanwhile, Ministry of Transport has asked two Bangkok military facilities to help retain flood water temporarily so Bangkok commuters can be spared traffic nightmares like those experienced last week. Downpours submerged many roads, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stuck for hours in gridlocked traffic. It was mainly caused by blocked sewers and canals that hampered the flow of water from roads. Transport deputy minister, Chatchart Sithipan, said the Defence Minister, Sukampol Suwannathat, has been contacted about the plan to use the Army’s 2nd Cavalry Division (King’s Guards) base and the Dhupateme Air Force Sports Stadium. “We will ask them to keep water in their areas during downpours. We have found that Vibhavadi-Rangsit and Phaholyothin roads are easily swamped because all the agencies along the highways pump rainwater out of their compounds as fast as possible.” These military units will be requested to lower the level of large ponds and then store rainwater after storms. Thanawat Jarupongsakul of Chulalongkorn University said Bangkok would likely see torrential rain this weekend through to Monday causing heavy flooding of city roads. Working for the science faculty’s unit for disaster and land information studies, he believed the best way for Bangkok to avoid a flood disaster this year is to drain most of the water out of its canals in advance. The level in Bangkok canals remains consistently high through dry or rainy seasons, leaving very little spare space in canals to accommodate unusually heavy storms. “There is a very high risk that storms will hit the country in the next two months,” he warned. Low-pressure ridges have stagnated over the country for longer than usual, making it impossible for storms to come in so far this year. “But this means the central region will get hit by storms around October and November just like in 1990, 1996 and 2006,” he said. Bangkok’s flood risk this year will be from storms, not run-off from the upper part of the country, he added. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said heavy rainfall in the capital from 4 to 23 September produced 444 million cubic metres of water, or about half of the Pasak Jolasid reservoir. “If the rain is over 60 millimetres per day, it will take time to remove the water,” he said. The Office of the National Water and Flood Management Policy reported that 44 provinces, including Bangkok, Phitsanulok and Prachinburi, were at risk. In Phitsanulok, flood waters were nearly 2 metres high at some spots, but major roads were open except for roads into villages next to the Yom River. The province irrigation chief, Bundit Intra, said Bang Rakam district is likely to be under water for another month before receding in late October as it is a low-lying area and holds the flood waters from upstream districts. Meanwhile,  floods receded in parts of the provincial town itself and Phrom Phiram district. In Prachinburi, many villages were inundated and several roads were made impassable to small vehicles. In Kabin Buri district alone, more than 108 roads were damaged and 12 schools had to close. Opening sluice gates helped ease flooding in the province’s Kabin Buri district and the level of Prachin Buri River has continued to drop by 60 cm to 11.0 metres. In Si Maha Chot district, water rose slightly by 5 cm following Monday’s night heavy rain. The Thachum market isunder 70 cm of water. In the provincial town, the water level in Prachin River is stable and is not overflowing into the community, although it exceeds the critical level by 24 cm. The 10 flooded provinces are: Prachinburi; Sakaew; Sukhothai; Phitsanulok; Phichit; Nakhon Sawan; Angthong; Ayutthaya; Suphan Buri; and Nakhon Pathom. From ttrweekly