By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A GIGANTIC spillway is proposed built at a steep cost of up to 165 billion baht to rapidly convey excess water from dams and reservoirs in the central region of the country down to a shore of the Gulf of Thailand in sustained effort to cope with repeated, critical floodings in the long run.
Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said today (Sep.29) the 165 billion baht mega-project is primarily designed to contain surplus water at Chao Phraya and Pasak dams in Chainart and Lopburi provinces respectively from overflowing the low-lying central areas and Bangkok.
Suriya confirmed the sought-after, colossal sluice for excess water to run from Chao Phraya Dam down to the Gulf shore in the usually-inundated areas particularly those in the Thai capital’s outlying provinces will promptly, effectively contain floodings and save an estimated 17 billion baht in collateral damage in a year.
The construction of the gigantic spillway project is calculated to take an eight-year period, he said.
The Pheu Thai-attached agriculture minister confirmed the sustainable, anti-flooding project could be implemented as soon as it passes approval from the Bhumjaithai-led cabinet with an environmental impact assessment on the passage areas already done.
For the time being, the Irrigation Department was releasing as much as two billion cubic metres of rainwater daily from Chao Phraya dam, causing flash floods over the low-lying terrains downstream.
Given a few days of a non-stop downpour in addition to the overflowing surplus water from those dams and reservoirs, the capital, outlying provinces and others in the low-lying region as well as a few eastern provinces have been critically affected by flooding virtually turning urban streets and alleys into canals.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page: Representative image of the gigantic spillway project shared on Facebook by Thailand Post
Also read:
Anutin’s popularity plummets, Yodchanan’s rises: NIDA poll
MPs election declared not null and void by Constitutional Court
Sondhi pledges life-long battle to throw 5 election commissioners in jail
People’s seeks tip-offs for use in censure debate against ‘Blue Regime’
Nene Royal, America’s Got Talent champion, set to join major merit-making event
Court lifts Yingluck’s appeal over 10-billion-baht pay for rice subsidy scheme
Renegade Klatham removed from opposition bloc
Most election commissioners taken to task for kowtowing to Bhumjaithai
25 years later, WoT has the “War on Terror” achieved?
Floods:
Kasikorn Research Centre sets flood-induced economic damage at 7–17 billion baht
Floodwaters jet-skier gets suspended jail term
Cabinet declares tomorrow and day after special holidays for Bangkok, 3 provinces
Bangkok flooding ‘has stabilised’, improvement likely this evening: Chadchart
Bangkok in critical situation amid non-stop rain with many areas flooded
