Phaya Thai flood alert a false alarm: BMA

City Hall cancelled evacuation alerts for residents living along Khlong Bang Sue in Phaya Thai district last night, citing inaccurate information.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman Wasant Meewong confirmed the evacuation alert had been withdrawn at 10pm, about three hours after City Hall issued the announcement.

"The evacuation order was a mistake. We apologize for the error," Mr Wasant said.

The order, signed by Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, warned residents living along Bang Sue canal in Samsen Nai sub-district of Bangkok's Phaya Thai district to leave their homes as water in the canal had risen rapidly.

The BMA yesterday also declared three additional communities in the Saphan Sung sub-district of Bangkok's Saphan Sung district under flood surveillance after water levels in nearby canals began rising.

The announcement for the sub-district remains in force.

City issues evacuation advisory for two Khan Na Yao subdistricts

BANGKOK, Nov 9 – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Wednesday issued an evacuation advisory for Khan Na Yao and Ramindra subdistricts in Khan Na Yao district.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra also announced a special close watch for possible evacuation of Lat Phrao subdistrict of Lat Phrao.

Residents were advised to move their belongings to higher ground. Patients, children, the elderly and pregnant women should move to safer areas.

The BMA is working with agencies, NGOs and the private sector to distribute food, drinking water, medicine and mobile toilets to 470 locations in districts with deep flooding. 

The cooperating agencies are the Ruamkatunyu Foundation, the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Dhurakij Pundit University, Kasem Bundit University, the Flood Fight volunteer group, Singha Corporation and Thai Bev Pcl.

The BMA will also receive assistance from the Interior Ministry under “One Province One District” project to be launched Thursday at the Royal Plaza. Under the project, mobile toilets, boats, pumps, life jackets will be offered by the provinces to flood victims in Bangkok.

Regarding garbage collection problem in flooded areas, the BMA has hired more collectors to work in 18 districts from Nov 10 to Dec 31 and purchased more garbage collecting equipment.

The amount of garbage which has accumulated will be reduced in three days, the governor said.

Meanwhile, the BMA has cancelled its annual Loy Krathong festival, originally set for tomorrow (Nov 10) in all districts for the safety of festival goers, due to the ongoing flood.

City Hall annually sponsors the traditional Thai festival, near Rama VIII Bridge and other areas.The annual festival falls on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar.

Despite the cancellation, Bangkok residents can celebrate the Loy Krathong and float krathongs, hand-made rafts carrying flowers, candles and incense, into ponds at BMA’s public parks which are not flooded.

The authorities also asked the festivalgoers to float fewer krathongs during this year’s festival in order to help reduce amounts of garbage which may obstruct the drainage system.

Sanya Cheenimit, director of Bangkok’s Drainage and Sewerage Department, said City Hall is speeding up water drainage into the sea as best as it can, but conceded that the influx of floodwater in the capital is much more than the amount of the outflow.

The director explained that the existing pumps are functioning as much as they can but not in full capacity amid fears that the equipment can be out of order.

Now 100 million cubic metres of water is being drained each day, Mr Sanya said, but the amount of inflow into the capital can still not be assessed.

Mr Sanya said that if Bangkok is not hit by another mass of water from the northern run-off and the so-called 'Big Bag' barriers can efficiently slow down the water flow, the amount of floodwater in some inner areas and the city's main roads will be reduced within two weeks.

THREATENS TO DITCH FLOOD PLAN EFFORTS IF COOPERATION NOT FORTHCOMING

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has given the government an ultimatum to start cooperating or it will ditch the existing plans it has to tackle the city's floods.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday the BMA would come up with a new flood management plan if the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) does not spell out by tomorrow how it will cooperate in tackling the floods.

The BMA asked the Froc to provide water pumps and speed up flood drainage operations a week ago, but it had not received any response, the governor said.

City Hall also asked Froc to instruct the Royal Irrigation Department to open its 20 sluice gates in Nong Chok district to speed up water drainage to Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province, but only nine of 20 sluice gates had been opened.

"If the BMA doesn't get tangible support from the Froc within 48 hours, we will review our flood management plan," MR Sukhumbhand said. He did not elaborate.

Froc yesterday ordered additional pumps from Korea and Japan, and appealed to the private sector to donate pumps.

The Irrigation Department, on behalf of the government, denied it was refusing to cooperate. It said the BMA asked the wrong agency for the loan of pumps.

The growing dispute between the Froc and BMA came as the flood crisis worsened in several parts of Bangkok.

The governor said overflow from Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and Lat Phrao intersection was likely to reach Din Daeng, Saphan Kwai, and the Victory Monument within days since Bang Sue canal, which is an important water drainage route in the area, was swollen and could not take more water.

City Hall declared some parts of Din Daeng district as special surveillance areas. They are Rim Khlong Bang Sue community, Yu Charoen Housing Estate, Soi Inthamara 41 and Yu Charoen Housing Estate Phase 3.

Residents in those areas should move their belongings to higher ground and prepare for evacuation.

On Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, water on the road's inbound lanes in front of St John University was about 30cm.

The government was confident, however, that flooding in the northern part of the city would ease following the completion of the first six kilometres of the big-bag flood barrier on Saturday night.

Transport Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat said Froc has completed the big bag barrier, made of thousands of giant sand bags, to the north of Bangkok. The barrier runs from Lak Hok, Chulalongkorn sluice gate, the area above Don Mueang airport, to Khlong Sam Wa. Each bag weighs 2.5 tonnes.

The barrier was intended to stop flooding from the North that has been moving into central Bangkok within seven days.

For Thon Buri, in the western part of Bangkok, the BMA has issued an evacuation alert for residents in Soi Charan Sanitwong 13 and Tha Phra subdistrict in Bangkok Yai district and four subdistricts in Phasi Charoen district.

The four subdistricts are Khlong Khwang, Bang Duan, Bang Waek and Bang Chak.

MR Sukhumbhand added the BMA has been considering declaring two more subdistricts_Khuha Sawan and Bang Wa _ in Phasi Charoen district as evacuation areas.

City Hall also requires the Froc's assistance in instructing the Royal Irrigation Department to help drain floodwater in Thon Buri into the Sanam Chai-Mahachai canal and the Tha Chin River as soon as possible, said the Bangkok governor.

Water levels between Bang Kae and the Tha Phra intersections are about 85cm on average.