Thailand's water management improves from last year

BANGKOK, September 8 (TNA) - Although tests on water flows in the eastern side of Bangkok was suspended on Friday due to continual downpours, the Thai government's flood prevention officials have shown optimistic signs that water discharging in the capital this year has improved from late last year when the city was hit by a severe flooding. Speaking during the weekly broadcast programme of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Saturday morning, Royon Jitdon, a leading member of the government-appointed National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee (NWRFPC), said that a test on water flows in the western side of Bangkok on September 5 showed satisfactory results, as water in canals flowed better than earlier projection. Royon revealed that Wednesday's test results will be further studied and used in water discharging to help prevent local people from being affected by floods in the future. To date, Royon acknowledged, the Thai government has obtained better information with improved water management, namely water flowing from the upstream Yom and Nan Rivers and from the lower northern Na-khon Sa-wan can be known 45 days in advance, which helps officials concerned to timely discharge water and to direct excess water from canals so that people will not be affected. Royon noted that combined water stored at the Bhumibol and the Sirikit Dams is now estimated at 10,000 million cubic metres, which can be distributed to local people and farmers at the amount of 7,000 million cubic metres during the dry season. Meanwhile, Royal Irrigation Department Director-General Lert-vi-roj Ko-wat-ta-na insisted that floodwater which is currently inundated farmlands in Bang Pa-in District of Thailand's central Ayutthaya Province has not resulted from the water test in Bangkok earlier this week.(TNA)