People living in five districts of Phetchaburi province have been warned to brace for flooding as more water is being drained out of Kaeng Krachan dam which is now 97 percent full and water is spilling over the spillways.
Muang, Ban Laem, Tha Lat and Tha Yang districts which are located downstream of the dam are expected to be affected from the increased drainage of water, said Mr Somkiart Prachamwong, secretary-general of the National Water Resources Office, on Saturday.
Relief and rescue equipment sent by the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department will be arriving at the command centre at the Phetchaburi provincial hall on Sunday.
Mr Somkiart, accompanied by Governor Chatporn Ratdusadee and officials from the Royal Irrigation Department, held a meeting today to discuss the updates on water situation in Kaeng Krachan dam before they boarded a helicopter to survey the dam and areas downstream which are to be affected by excess water drained out of the dam.
The NWRO secretary-general said that, as a result of the influence of southwestern monsoon, the amount of water in the Kaeng Krachan dam increased by 150 million cubic metres to 690 million cubic metres in just one day, representing 97 percent of the full capacity of the dam.
He anticipated that water would spill over the spillways on Sunday, adding that 12 siphons and 20 water pumps had been installed to accelerate water drainage which would affect areas downstream the dam.
An irrigation official said that as of Friday until Saturday morning, water in Kaeng Krachan dam is steadily increasing by one centimeter per hour, making it necessary for more water pumps to be installed to speed up water drainage.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department predicted more rains in the western and northeastern regions today until Wednesday, resulting in more water flowing into Srinakharind, Kaeng Krachan, Vajiralongkorn and Pran Buri dams.
