Authority assures flood prevention at industrial site

BANGKOK, March 29 (TNA) - The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has assured flood prevention plans at the Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate in the central Ayutthaya province, an area heavily hit by the country's flooding crisis late last year. IEAT Deputy Governor Narapot Tiewthanom told journalists that the well-prepared flood prevention measures in Ayutthaya's Kaknon Luang district, where the Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate is located, and Bang Pa-Han district were raised at a meeting of agencies concerned in Bangkok Thursday, covering both short-term and long-term plans. Narapot said that the short-term measures include dredging of canals and other waterways from upstream to downstream areas and discharging of water from major dams, namely the Pasak Cholasit Dam, to low-lying areas officially designated to cater water, as part of the Thai government's new water management master plan, and that the implementation of the measures will be accelerated to be fully in good place by September 2012, when the construction of a permanent flood prevention dyke at the Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate will also be completed. The IEAT deputy chief acknowledged that the concerned agencies have also prepared for contingent flood prevention plans in case of any emergency, and that he, therefore, believes the Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate and adjacent communities will be safe from a repeated flood, if any, this year. (TNA)