Heavy downpours hit Bangkok and peripheral areas

BANGKOK, September 25 (TNA) - A water expert and the Director of Thailand's Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (HAII), Dr. Royon Jitdon, has warned that heavy downpours are likely to continue in Bangkok and surrounding provinces until the end of this month. Dr. Royon said on Tuesday that the continual and widespread rainfalls, with heavy downpours expected on Wednesday, are influenced by Typhoon Jelawat, which has strengthened the southwest monsoon wind, and by another storm forming and regaining its strength in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a spate of downpours from central to west-southern Thai areas during the period, from early this week until the coming weekend. Meanwhile, the heavy precipitation has caused several main roads in Bangkok to be temporarily inundated daily, which, Dr. Royon acknowledged, is due to partly-blocked or subsided drains, but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration or BMA has used pumps to speed up draining rainwater into canals and rivers. (TNA)