Prawit wades in to help Chadchart solve city flooding

CARETAKER Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan inspected Khlong Saen Saep floodgate in Minburi to monitor the flooding in the capital with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt being on hand to brief him on the situation, Naewna newspaper said this afternoon (Sept. 14).

Chadchart told Prawit, who was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Gen. Chaicharn Changmongkol and two Palang Pracharat Party MPs, that Bangkok has been lashed by torrential rain for days now and he is going to propose to the Office of the National Water Resources that a water expressway be built to drain floodwater.

This water expressway would not go through the Phra Khanong area, he added.

Chadchart also said that the situation at this floodgate is better than during the great floods of 2011 with the water level still 50 centimetres lower than measured then. Moreover Minburi is not heavily flooded this year with Lat Krabang, Bang Khen and Don Mueang being in worse shape.

Prawit asked Chachart to quickly come up with a plan to drain water from flooded areas, especially houses that have been flooded for over a week.

Chadchart told the caretaker premier that right now the water level in many canals is at crisis level with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration rushing to get more pumps from various agencies to help out.

Over the next one to two days city officials will start enclosing housing estates and drain out the floodwater as quickly as possible.

Prawit also said that Bangkok residents are lucky to have a strong governor in charge of the current flooding.

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Caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan inspecting Khlong Saen Saep floodgate in Minburi together with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt. Photos: Naewna