PM satisfies with water management in eastern Bangkok

BANGKOK, October 31 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Monday that decent water management in eastern Bangkok has made her less worried that the inner capital will be flooded. Speaking to reporters before attending a meeting on Monday’s flood situation, Yingluck said she is satisfied with the drainage of massive flood water that flow in from the north, to the eastern side of Bangkok, which helps reduce the burden of holding floodwater in the capital. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that water drainage through western Bangkok has not proceeded well as authorities are having trouble diverting water into dredged canals and the sea. The prime minister said she still believes that inner Bangkok will not be flooded as on Monday the high tide will reach 2.6 metres above the mean sea level, two centimetres lower than its level on Sunday. She also dismissed a report that 10 billion more cubic metres of floodwater remain above Bangkok, saying that there is more water in the north but it should not be as high as 10 billion cubic metres. She added that the situation should not get worse as the government has already built dykes to lessen the speed of flood water. (TNA)