BANGKOK – The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has issued a flood alert for residents of Bangkok and ten central provinces, urging them to closely monitor rising water levels in the Chao Phraya River. The warning follows a decision to increase the discharge rate from the Chao Phraya Dam in Chainat province to 2,500 cubic meters per second this afternoon to alleviate mounting pressure on the dam structure.

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The increased discharge comes as water levels behind the dam have risen steadily due to heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Bualoi. Measurements taken at the C2 station in Nakhon Sawan early this morning showed water flow rates between 2,700 and 2,900 cubic meters per second. An additional 180 cubic meters per second from the Sakae Krang River and other tributaries is further contributing to the volume bearing down on the dam.

Despite designating upper catchment areas for water retention and diverting approximately 400 cubic meters per second into irrigation canals, the RID stated that increasing the dam’s discharge rate remains necessary. The department emphasized that the increase is being implemented gradually to minimize impacts on agricultural land and residential areas downstream.

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Authorities have already advised residents in several provinces, including Ang Thong, Chainat, Sing Buri, and Ayutthaya, to relocate valuables to higher ground. Widespread flooding has been reported across multiple central and northern provinces, including Phetchabun, Ayutthaya, and Phitsanulok.

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The RID also reported that the country’s four major reservoirs—Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kwae Noi Bamrung Daen, and Pasak Jolasid—are currently at 90% of their combined capacity, holding 22.423 billion cubic meters of water with remaining storage space for 2.448 billion cubic meters. In response to the situation, Bhumibol Dam has reduced its discharge rate by half to five million cubic meters per day, while Sirikit Dam has increased its discharge to 25 million cubic meters per day.

-Thailand News (TN)