Bangkok prepares to handle heavy rainfall

BANGKOK, Aug 16 (TNA) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration upgraded its water management system in preparation for more upcoming rainfall. Bangkok governor, Aswin Kwanmuang today visited the Bangkok flood prevention centre, which has been upgraded under the budget of 195 million baht. The improvement was finished last month to increase its effectiveness in calculating the amount of water for quick response action to prevent damage from flood. The upgrade included software development for comprehensive water analysis, installation of supplementary power system to prevent system malfunction. The Bangkok governor said that optical fiber cables network was linked to calculate the amount of rainwater from 131 water pumping stations, 263 water measurement stations at canals and 32 water flow measurement stations. The new system is able to provide real-time reports of the necessary information on the water situation. With the new system put in place, the officials at the center will also know which parts of roads are flooded by calculating the amount of rainfall and do not have to wait for reports from officials on the sites. The centre is now ready to handle heavy rain, predicted to stay around 345 millimetres on average in September, the governor said, adding that the drainage tunnel under the Bang Sue canal will be operational within Aug 25. (TNA)