Inundation situation in Upper Thai North not critical this year

BANGKOK, June 14 (TNA) - Thai Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who has been tasked with overseeing the water situation in the country's upper northern region, has expressed his confidence that the inundation situation in the Upper Thai North this year, if any, will not be as critical as last year. After reporting flood prevention plans in the Upper Thai North to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at a video conference on Thursday, Boonsong told journalists that the dredging of main waterways in upstream areas, including the Ping and Kuang Rivers, has been complete and workers are now dredging waterways in lower northern basins. The minister acknowledged that the northern Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces even plan to propose additional flood prevention measures to the government, involving the Mae Kuang Udomthara and the Mae Ngat Sombun Chon Dams as both dams have capacity to each store at least additional 250 million cubic metres of water. (TNA)