His Majesty the King is concerned about the flooding situation and has asked authorities concerned to take the best care of the people, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-0-cha said on Saturday.
Gen Prayut said the government will follow His Majesty’s instruction. The government will adhere to the initiatives of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej regarding water management, he added.
All government agencies concerned, be they the Office of National Water Resources, the Royal Irrigation Department, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department and all provinces being hit by flooding, have coordinated their efforts and operations to resolve the situation.
Gen Prayut said according to a report from the Smart Water Operation Centre, three provinces – Bung Kan, Nakhon Phanom and Phetchaburi – are still hit by floods. All main rivers and streams are under a close watch as Thailand will continue to have more rain with heavy rain in some areas.
In Phechaburi, the water level is now at a standstill and beginning to recede. The situation is expected to ease in five days.
In the North, preparations have been made to cope with run-off along the Yom river, based on the Bang Rakam model, to solve the repeated flooding problem in Sukhothai and Phitsanulok by adjusting the calendar for rice-growing in low-lying areas and using an area of about 382,000 rai to absorb the northern run-off, the prime minister said.
Gen Prayut said he had instructed all agencies concerned to extend assistance to all flood-hit people and keep the people informed about the volumes of rain and water so that they can make advance preparations to mitigate possible damage.