Thai PM orders flood prevention

BANGKOK, September 19 (TNA) - In response to continual downpours over the past several days, with many areas having been flooded, authorities concerned have been on alert to bring the situation under control. Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told journalists on Thursday morning, before attending a House debate on her government's 2.2-trillion-baht loan bill, that she has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, in his capacity as the chairman of the government-appointed Water Management and Flood Prevention Commission (WMFPC) to convene concerned parties to prepare operations to cope with the water situation this year. Yingluck acknowledged that updated information show the worrying water situation in the Lower Thai North and the central region, including Phitsanulok, Phichit and Ayutthaya provinces, and she has, therefore, ordered provincial governors to prepare measures to cope with the situation, covering assistance to locals. Although dams have substantial capacities to hold more rainwater, Yingluck noted that emerging problems have resulted from continual downpours in downstream from dams. Regarding flood prevention for Bangkok, the prime minister said that the WMFPC is trying to control the amount of water flowing to the capital, in parallel with swift drainage of water from canals to prevent flooding by agencies concerned. Meanwhile, a centre for preventing and solving flood problems under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported that water levels at the city's sluices, especially in its eastern flood-prone zones, have remained normal and people living along the main Chao Phraya River and canals have enjoyed their normal ways of life. However, many areas in Phitsanulok and Ayutthaya have been inundated, prompting local authorities to have urgently assisted affected locals, while implementing measures to prevent floods in other areas. The Meteorological Department has warned of more monsoon downpours in several parts of Thailand, with heavy ones, in the coming days. (TNA)