Locals south of Chai Nat to brace for flooding

The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has increased the water discharge rates at the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province in preparation for taking more runoff from upstream, warning downstream communities to brace for possible flooding.

- POST REPORTERS

The dam's release rate was raised to 2,100 cubic metres per second (m³/s) on Tuesday at 1am, up from 2,000 m³/s. It will be maintained at that level until further notice, the RID said yesterday.

Communities in downstream provinces, particularly Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Sing Buri, were urged to monitor updates, prepare for possible inundation and be ready to evacuate if necessary.

The RID said a water-measuring station in Nakhon Sawan's Muang district upstream of the dam had begun to register a decline in water levels by 6am yesterday, while levels further downstream were rising following the increased discharge.