Water pumps installed at flood-prone areas in Bangkok

BANGKOK, September 28 (TNA) - The Ministry of Transport has sought support from the Ministry of Interior for some 40 large water pumps to be installed in flood-prone areas in Bangkok to prevent the capital from any persistent flooding, after the Meteorological Department has forecast scattered heavy downpours over the next 3-4 days. Thai Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan inspected the water pumps at the Ministry of Interior's Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning on Thursday, before handing over the 40 water pumps to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Chatchart said that the diesel-fueled water pumps could drain water at 0.45 cubic meter per second and could be operated around the clock; so, their installation should effectively cope with possible flooding and facilitate traffic flows in the capital. According to the deputy transport minister, road lanes in Bangkok will be rearranged to facilitate traffic flows on expressways during heavy rainfalls and his ministry's Land Transport Department will deploy teams to rescue motorists whose vehicles break down on temporarily-flooded roads; while the Highways Department will replace concrete sewer covers with metal grid ones to speed up flood drainage on roads. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported that floods have remained in nine provinces, including Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri and Nakhon Pathom, affecting over 150,000 people. (TNA)