The Royal Irrigation Department and other agencies responsible for dams and reservoirs have been instructed to come up with water drainage plans in anticipation of the arrival of another storm in September which is expected to bring more rains.

Mr Somkiart Prachamwong, secretary-general of the National Water Resources Office, said Friday that old statistics could not be applied this year because the water situation has changed, with all the more than 10 dams and reservoirs of big and medium sizes being over 80 percent filled up against their full capacities and seven reservoirs with water volume exceeding the control level.

Citing the Vajiralolngkorn dam in Kanchanaburi, he said the dam has water exceeding the control level and the water to be drained out of the dam has been increased to 53 million cubic metres/day from 43 million cubic metres/day.

Mr Somkiart said the officials at the dam must quickly come up with water drainage plan before the arrival or a new storm “or they will let the downstream areas to be flooded.

The new storm is expected to bring more rains to the northern, lower northeastern and central regions.