Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Tuesday reassured the Bangkok public that flooding in the capital has already passed its critical point and that floodwater in eastern part of the city should be totally drained into the sea before the year end.
The premier said the level of floodwater in Bangkok has continuously declined and, regarding the overall situation, the crisis has already peaked.
Ms Yingluck reasoned that drainage in east works efficiently and that she expects the situation to return to normal by the end of the year. But for western Bangkok, it still depends on repair work of the damaged temporary dykes along the Chao Phraya River, expected to be completed in the next few days.
She conceded that some areas will remain under water but that she has instructed concerned agencies to speed up dredging canals so that they can drain as much water as possible during low tide.
Regarding the gap in the giant sandbag barrier, the ‘Big Bag Barrier’, which was widened and adjusted to a 10-metre spillway on Tuesday, the prime minister said its opening will minimize the impact on local residents and facilitate travel by boat.
However, the amount of inflowing water must be limited to a volume that can be handled and drained out.
Echoing the prime minister, FROC spokesman Tongthong Chantarangsu said that the spillway will not cause a large amount of water inflow deeper into Bangkok but higher floodwater will be seen only in some areas such as Lak Si.
FROC will closely monitor the situation and speed up draining water.
‘Big Bags’, oversize sandbags, were used to build a barrier to slow the northern run-off into Bangkok to allow the authorities to drain the water out and to save Bangkok's inner areas, but some residents living outside the barrier-protected area angrily dismantled six meters of the embankment.
It was later adjusted and described as a spillway on Tuesday.
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