Lower rain amount in Thailand this year, says minister

BANGKOK, September 11 (TNA) - Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi says that rain amount in Thailand this year is lower than last year and main rivers have not overflowed. Plodprasop, who is also head of the Thai government’s water and flood management committee, affirmed on Tuesday that rain amount has dropped by 20 per cent this year, from its level last year; so people should not panic. The minister acknowledged that water now flows in Nakhon Sawan (นครสวรรค์) Province in the Lower Thai North at the rate of only 1,900 cubic meters per second, compared with 3,000 cubic meters per second last year, and that the Chao Phraya (เจ้าพระยา) Dam is discharging water at a normal rate. The minister explained that current floods in Sukhothai Province resulted from damage of an old dyke on the left bank of the Yom River, built in 2001, saying that he has already ordered a quick repair of the damaged dyke, and that under the government's long-term water management plan, main rivers will be diverted away from urban areas in Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan and even Bangkok in the future. Meanwhile, agencies concerned, including the 3rd Army Area Command, have hurriedly assisted flood victims and surveyed damages in flood-hit Sukhothai for further assistance, as ordered by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. (TNA)