Flood water is flowing through the sea

BANGKOK, November 12 (TNA) - Thailand's Royal Irrigation Department has acknowledged that flood waters in Bangkok's eastern and western sides have been entering the seaside Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon Province. The Royal Irrigation Department said that it is trying to protect Samut Prakan by operating sluice gates, including those at its main Luang Phaeng and the Prawet Burirom Canals, to direct most water to eight pump stations in seaside canals and the Bang Pakong River. According to the Royal Irrigation Department, the pump stations have been operating around the clock to accelerate discharge at about 30 million cubic metres of water into the sea a day and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has been asked to open sluice gates on the Rom Klao Road to direct water to the BMA’s Phra Khanong Pump Station to help the drainage. In western Bangkok, the Royal Irrigation Department reported that flood water has remained over one meter deep in some areas of Bang Bon District and has been expanding to Bang Khun Thian-Bang Bon Road toward the Samut Sakhon Road through the Rama II Road. Officials concerns are speeding up discharging the floodwater into the sea. Meanwhile, The Industrial Estate of Thailand assessed that the Bangchan Industrial Estate in the eastern outskirts of Bangkok may be safe from flooding, as water levels in the adjacent Bung Krathiam lake have dropped by some 9 centimetres; while a 17-kilometre-long soil dyke of the Lat Krabang Industrial Estate, also in Bangkok's eastern suburb, has been further raised from its old height of 1.40 metres to prevent floods, but officials warned that the dyke may leak because the old and new soil layers may not be well attached to each other. (TNA)