Meet Nakhon Sawan's ace flood fighter

Nakhon Sawan mayor Jittahkasem Nirojthanarat said dams should be built on the Yom River to prevent future flooding in the province. 

Jittahkasem Nirojthanarat, mayor of Nakhon Sawan Municipality, has received a lot of credit for the dedication he showed in fighting the floods. APINYA WIPATAYOTIN talks to the local leader.

What did the town do in terms of its flood prevention plans?

We started fighting the water in September and did so until Oct 10, when a boat hit our water barrier. The breach caused a massive amount of floodwater to hit the city.

If the accident had not happened, we would have been able to save the city.

We believed that the city would have been safe had we been able to control the situation over the next three days as the level of water would have been stable.

For this year, the city exercised extreme caution before the flood as we usually face a cycle of heavy flooding every five years.

We faced flood crises in 1995, 2002 and 2006. So we started preparing our flood prevention measures in July.

The city has in place 2km of water barriers in the east and three more in the south. We are going to construct another 4.9km in the south. When that section is completed, the system will provide 100% protection for the city.

We also have four underground water tunnels with a capacity to drain water at 700,000 cubic metres a day. In case of emergency, we can use a wastewater treatment plant to push water out with a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres a day.

What are the key factors that helped the area to recover so quickly?

As Nakhon Sawan is a flood-prone city the province lies at the confluence of the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan rivers], it's only natural that we pay attention to flood-prevention structures like water barriers, large-scale water tunnels and water pumping stations.

Every sector has done the best to protect the city. But the most important thing is the people. Here we have a perfect team comprising all stakeholders. They do their best in trying to protect the city. We have unity in our city.

If we lacked unity, the damage would have been much more. We faced the biggest flood crisis we have ever experienced this year. 

The highest water level was 74cm, which is higher than in 1995. But thanks to our strong unity and functional flood handling measures, we were able to make the city dry in 10 days.

What do you think is the best way to prevent flooding?

We received 2 billion cubic metres of water from Bhumibol and Sirikit dams. But, we also had to handle more than 6 billion cu/m from the Yom River. With no structure to retain the water, it came at us directly.

We think that it is very important to have one or two dams in the Yom River as it is the only river that has no dam. The structure will not only protect Nakhon Sawan, but Bangkok and downstream areas will also benefit from such a dam.

Moreover, we need to dredge the rivers. Starting in July, the level of water in the Yom and the Nan rivers showed no sign of receding until Oct 13. When the rivers are shallow the water flows slowly. It is an urgent task.

People have talked about the "Nakhon Sawan model." What do you think this is referring to?

It should be described as a good system to prevent flooding which I told you earlier. This system can't be found in Uthai Thani or Ayutthaya. 

We constructed the system in 1980. It allowed us to drain the water effectively. Essentially, we are capable of draining all the water that comes into the city, thus keeping it dry. 

However, this system must be adjusted if it's to be applied to other areas as each place has a different landscape and limitations.

If you want to save a city from flooding, it will take more than 10 years. Bangkok has similar measures _ a water bypass system and big underground water tunnels to expedite drainage.

Another part of the system is how to make people understand the situation and cooperate fully with the city.

During the floods, we had to build an 11.8km water barrier on the west side of city, which has no concrete flood wall. A few people objected to it.

We had to talk and explain to them why the structure was necessary until they understood.

And we didn't forget these people who had to sacrifice their personal comfort to save the city. We tried our best to take care of them.

Are you tired from fighting the water?

Of course, I am. During the peak period, I slept only two hours a day. When the phone rang, I had to rush off to fix a water barrier or deal with one urgent problem after another. But I told myself that I had to do my best to protect the city.