Decharat urges the government to accelerate water drainage in Nonthaburi by operating pumps at full capacity to reduce flooding impacts in inner communities on both the Nonthaburi Municipality and Pak Kret Municipality sides, where water levels remain elevated.
On 27 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Decharat Sukkamned, director of the Policy Center for the Future of the People's Party, said that although rainfall in Nonthaburi has decreased from previous days and roads are becoming passable, floodwaters remain high in inner communities on both the Nonthaburi Municipality and Pak Kret Municipality sides. This is due to limited drainage capacity from communities into the Chao Phraya River. He called for faster water drainage from these inner areas.
Following a site visit, Decharat proposed that on the Ngamwongwan and Rattanathibet sides, water must be drained into the Chao Phraya River through gates such as Bang Sue Noi Canal gate (near Wat Klang Bang Sue), Bang Phraek Canal gate (adjacent to the Department of Corrections), Bang Thon Canal gate (next to the Ministry of Commerce), and others. Nonthaburi Municipality is currently operating pumps but must alternate to avoid overheating. If the government could provide additional pumps at these points, it would speed water level reduction in inner communities.
On the Chaeng Watthana, Samakkhi, and Prachanivet 3 sides, drainage depends on Bang Talat Canal gate and Bang Phut Canal gate. According to Decharat's latest midday survey, only one of four pumps at Bang Talat gate is operating, discharging about 6 cubic meters per second.
There are two problems at Bang Talat Canal gate: first, two pumps are broken; second, water flow from inner community canals to Bang Talat Canal is insufficient, causing water levels inside to drop too low to run pumps at full capacity.
Since Bang Talat Canal receives pumped water from various inner canals on both Nonthaburi and Pak Kret sides, any obstruction in pumping reduces water reaching the Bang Talat gate pumps below expected levels. Therefore, besides adding pumps at Bang Talat gate, additional pumps should be installed in smaller canals.
Decharat added that while Chao Phraya River water levels are high, they have not overflowed embankments and can still accommodate drainage from inner areas. However, some embankments and drainage gates experience water seepage underneath, causing flooding in communities like Tha It, Om Kret, and Bang Phai, resulting in impacts from standing floodwater.
“The key now is to speed up water drainage at full capacity. Thus, reinforcing pump capacity at the main canals mentioned is an urgent priority. The government should urgently support Nonthaburi province and both municipalities in implementing this,” Decharat said.
