Water jets installed to expedite flows of water out of Thai sea

BANGKOK,October 24 (TNA) - The Royal Thai Navy has installed water jets in the Tha Chin River in the central region to expedite flows of water out of the sea through Samut Sakhon Province. Royal Irrigation Department Director-General Somkiat Prachamwong told journalists on Tuesday that the operation is a cooperative move between the Royal Thai Navy and his department to release water from upstream areas of the Chaophraya Dam to the sea off Samut Sakhon, through local canals, more quickly. Somkiat said his department needs to release more water from the Chaophraya Dam to 2,697 cubic meters per second, from 2,600 cubic meters per second, starting from October 24 until next week. According to the senior official, the move is believed to help reduce the amount of water passing through Nakhon Sawan Province in the Lower Thai North if there will be no more heavy downpours in the coming days. The senior official revealed that the amount of water passing through Nakhon Sawan to the central Thai region has been recorded at about 3,039 cubic meters per second, about 760 cubic meters of it have been diverted to irrigation systems set in both sides of local waterways, which are the highest level. The senior official admitted that the level of water in local waterways in some downstream areas may increase by 20-30 centimeters due to the release of more water from the Chaophraya Dam, including Sappaya area in Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong and Ayutthaya Provinces.(TNA)