Irrigation Department keeps northern water levels low to prepare for more rains

BANGKOK, July 22 (TNA) – Although rain was declining in the North, the Royal Irrigation Department was reducing the levels of waterways in the region to be ready for heavy downpours expected in the near future. Thongplew Kongjun, deputy director-general of the department, said the action was necessary as the southwestern monsoon and the monsoon via Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam would bring heavy rains to Thailand. The department lowered the level of the Chao Phraya River above the Chao Phraya dam to 15.30 meters above the mean sea level to prepare for heavy rains in the future, he said. According to him, the levels of most rivers are normal except the level of the Yom River in Sukhothai province that is increasing because it is accepting water from Phrae province. The level of the Chao Phraya River is manageable except overflows in low-lying areas without flood walls in Bang Ban and Sena districts of Ayutthaya province. He also said that medium- and large-scaled reservoirs in the country were 58% filled and the reservoirs of four main dams in the Chao Phraya river basin were 48% filled. (TNA)