Thailand’s disaster mitigation authorities have placed Bangkok and 65 provinces under flood alert from Friday through Sunday as the remnants of Typhoon Kalmaegi approach, reads a Bangkok Post report.
The warning includes the capital and 10 Central Plains provinces along the rapidly rising Chao Phraya River. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported Thursday that the river was flowing at 3,050 to 3,250 cubic metres per second upstream from the Chao Phraya barrage in Chai Nat province.
To manage water flow, the Royal Irrigation Department raised the barrage discharge rate from 2,500 to 2,700 cubic metres per second. During the 2011 floods, the river’s flow reached 3,703 cubic metres per second.
The DDPM said water levels downstream from the barrage could rise by 60 to 90 centimetres in low-lying areas without embankments. Warnings have been issued for Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Nonthaburi.
The Meteorological Department expects the weakening storm to reach northeastern Thailand on Friday, bringing heavy rain to the North, Northeast, Central Plains, East, and parts of the South along the Andaman coast.
In Vietnam, six airports—Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Chu Lai, Phu Cat, and Lien Khuong—were closed Thursday as Typhoon Kalmaegi approached the country’s central region, disrupting hundreds of flights, according to a government statement.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
