People in over 200 riverside dwellings and businesses in 7 districts of Bangkok (Dusit, Phra Nakhon, Samphanthawong, Bang Kho Laem, Yan Nawa, Bangkok Noi and Khlong San), which are not protected by a flood wall, have been advised today (Thursday) to move their valuables to higher ground, in anticipation of a water level rise in the Chao Phraya River between now and October 5^th.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said today that the city’s administration has been closely monitoring the situation in the Chao Phraya River and has taken steps to cope with the anticipated rise in water level, due to the increased discharged through the Chao Phraya Dam upstream in Chainat province and the Pasak Jolasid Dam.

He said city officials have checked the 78-km long flood wall along the Chao Phraya River and placed sand bags in low-lying areas which are not protected by a flood wall or where the wall is not high enough.

He added that officials also checked the readiness of the 97 water pumping stations, located on both banks of the river, to make sure they are in good working order.

Meanwhile, the Hydro Informatics Institute of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovations says a new storm is expected to make landfall in Vietnam on October 8^th and this may bring more rain and flooding to Thailand.

Citing its weather simulation model, however, the institute said that the storm will coincide with the arrival of a cold front from China, which will reduce the humidity in the storm and weaken it, but it still needs to be carefully monitored.