Neighbouring provinces to help Bangkok deal with scourge of flooding

Senior BMA officials discussed the subject in a meeting with Pathum Thani officials on Wednesday morning.

Senior BMA officials, led by deputy BMA clerk Wanthanee Watana, met representatives of Pathum Thani municipalities led by Pol Lt-General Kamronwit Thupkrachang, CEO of the Pathum Thani Provincial Administrative Organisation.

Officials attending the meeting included some Bangkok district chiefs, the BMA’s Drainage and Sewerage Department director and chiefs of district irrigation offices in Pathum Thani.

After the meeting, Surat Charoenchaisakul, director of the BMA drainage department, said BMA is now cooperating with the Royal Irrigation Department to prevent flooding in the capital.

Surat said if floods from upstream provinces to the north pushed water in the capital to threatening levels, the irrigation department will channel the water to Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi via the Klong Ban Mai canal. This way the water can be released into Chao Phraya River and flow into the sea.

As part of the measure, BMA will close the water gate at the Klong Song Canal in Sai Mai district and use the Nimit Mai pumping station to drain the floods in eastern Bangkok.

Surat added that officials in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district pledged to provide “seamless cooperation” with the BMA to drain floodwaters.

Wanthanee said the three-province cooperation was first brought up three months ago when Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt met Kamronwit and the mayor of Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret municipality.

At that time, the three took a boat to look at irrigation canals in Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi and agreed in principle to cooperate to mitigate flooding in the future.

The meeting on Wednesday was a follow-up to this.

Wanthanee said the three sides had agreed to work together rather than separately to fight floods.

As part of the integrated effort, Pak Kret will be able to improve its management of water gates and canal flow, while the BMA can coordinate with Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani to seek more funding from the government to build more water gates near Chao Phraya, Wanthanee added.

Thanking Kamronwit for inviting her team for a discussion, she said flooding after heavy rain is unavoidable, but cooperation with neighbouring provinces will allow the waters to be drained fast.

Her team also included directors of Bangkok’s Don Muang and Sai Mai districts.

Kamronwit said that goal of the cooperation is to push the water from Klong Prem and Klong Rangsit into Chao Phraya as soon as possible, so the canals do not break their banks.

He said Klong Rangsit regularly overflowed during heavy rain due to the lack of cooperation.

“Pathum Thani is a path for floodwaters to flow through, but the locals should not suffer,” Kamronwit said.

He added that if canals in Bangkok burst their banks, the Rangsit irrigation office could help by drawing water back to flow through water gates in the Chiang Rak area to flow into the Chao Phraya.

Triloop Hupkrachang, mayor of Rangsit municipality, said he was glad the BMA would work closely with his municipality to manage floods together. He said this cooperation would benefit the people.

Wirawat Pasomsup, director of the Rangsit irrigation canal maintenance project, said the water gates in the area have been repaired and all water pumps are in good condition.

He added that his office would help direct water from Klong Prem to Klong Rangsit before it is driven through the water gates into the Chao Phraya.