Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas has been appointed by the government to oversee water management adjoining Bangkok, Nakhon Nayok and Pathum Thani to avoid conflict.
The draining of flood from one province does not involve just the opening or closing of floodgates or the use of water pumps, but the water drained may affect an adjacent province.
That is why conflicts have broken out between communities in one province with those in another, and governors of the two provinces cannot solve the problem. A water management expert has suggested that someone higher up than a governor should step in to solve the problem for the benefit of both sets of communities.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Wisanu Subsompon said the problem of floodwater in Bangkok and Pathum Thani must be solved jointly by the two provinces.
For instance, draining water into Canal 2 affected people in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district, while the draining of water into Phraya Suren Canal affected people living there and protests have broken out at the two locations, though they have been resolved peacefully.
In Ongkharak district of Nakhon Nayok, which has been inundated for nine days, affected people have demanded the opening of floodgates for water to flow into Rangsit Canal, but this is difficult to implementation because of the already high water level in the canal and because people along the canal would be affected.
In Pathum Thani, the provincial permanent secretary, Thiraphol Chokenamchai, said Nong Sua district is heavily flooded, but draining water out needs coordination with authorities in Nakhon Nayok province, as Nong Sua receives water from both Nakhon Nayok and Saraburi and it cannot be drained into Ongkharak district of Nakhon Nayok.
