PM to talk flood mitigation at Asean summit in Laos

Flood problems will be among the topics discussed at the Asean Summit in Laos this week, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said.
Expressing her concerns over severe flooding affecting the northern region on Monday, she said the issue, alongside economic cooperation, investments and regional stability, will be addressed from Oct 8–11 in Vientiane. Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa had raised the flooding issue with Myanmar, which said it would cooperate to address the problem, the PM said.
When asked if the government plans any city planning reforms for Chiang Mai, which has experienced the worst flooding in years, she said a long-term management plan will be discussed after the emergency situation subsides.
She said she would ask the cabinet to brainstorm long-term water management plans, emphasising that if these efforts take up to 10 years to bear fruit, the government must commit to them.
Ms Paetongtarn allayed concerns about severe flooding in the central provinces, saying that the Royal Irrigation Department had assured her of water retention capacity. She said that while chances of flooding remain during heavy rain, the situation will not be as severe as in the North.
Meanwhile, City Hall on Monday warned people living along the Chao Phraya River in areas with no permanent barriers to prepare for flooding next week.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said people in flood-prone areas should move their belongings to high ground and monitor the river’s water levels from Oct 14 to 23.
The flood risk would come from the rising Chao Phraya River and forecast high tides, as more water was discharged from the Chao Phraya Dam, upstream from Bangkok, in Chai Nat.
The BMA did not name the city’s flood-prone areas outside the embankment zone. Data from 2022 showed these areas could include parts of Dusit, Phra Nakhon, Samphanthawong, Bang Kholaem, Yanawa, Bangkok Noi, and Klong San districts.
BMA spokesman Aekvarunyoo Amrapala said thunderstorms and heavy rain in the northern, northeastern and central regions this week would all add to the volume of water surging down the Chao Phraya River.
Chiang Mai has experienced major flooding caused by the rain-swollen Ping River that is only now draining out of the city. The Ping merges with three other rivers to form the Chao Phraya in Nakhon Sawan.