Deputy Prime Minister Songsak, together with the Secretary of the National Water Resources Office (NWRO), held a meeting to address flooding in Khlong Luang. He ordered the establishment of additional pumping stations to speed up drainage in Pathum Thani’s basin areas. The Chao Phraya Dam continues to release water at 2,200 cubic meters per second, with evaluations every 6 hours.
At 11:00 a.m. on 1 October 2026, at the Khlong Luang Municipality Office in Pathum Thani Province, Mayor Yutsak Chuphrasert and the executive team welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Songsak Thongsri, who oversees the National Water Resources Office (NWRO). Also present were Ms. Thaniya Naipinit, Governor of Pathum Thani, Mr. Chayan Muangsong, Secretary-General of the NWRO, Mr. Songsak Suaysom, Deputy Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), and central government agency heads, attending a meeting to monitor and manage flooding issues in Pathum Thani and Bangkok.
Mayor Yutsak highlighted flooding problems in the area and proposed solutions to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Royal Irrigation Department. He urged the department to allocate budget to build a permanent water gate system instead of repeatedly installing temporary pumps every three days, which delays relief efforts. He suggested a permanent hydraulic control system operable via mobile phone for timely water management. A budget in the hundreds of millions of baht is reasonable for the Royal Irrigation Department, which manages a multi-billion baht budget, to ensure efficient and timely drainage.
Deputy Prime Minister Songsak then explained the flooding issue in Khlong Luang, noting that unusually heavy rainfall exceeded forecasts. Khlong Luang’s basin area receives inflow from Rapeepat and Rangsit Prayurasak Canals. To drain water in Khlong Luang Municipality, pumping is necessary to redirect water into Canal 13 or other canals leading to the Chao Phraya River.
Today, he inspected efforts to increase drainage capacity and ordered consideration for adding more pumping stations to move water from low to higher areas, accelerating drying of Khlong Luang and minimizing impact on residents. Preparations are underway for anticipated rainfall from 5 to 8 October. He also assigned the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning to develop comprehensive flood solutions for Pathum Thani, aiming for sustainable problem-solving as proposed by local authorities.
The Deputy Prime Minister also instructed the Royal Irrigation Department, NWRO, and DDPM to promptly warn residents in low-lying areas outside flood barriers to prepare for rising water levels. Since the Chao Phraya Dam is a regulating dam, not a storage dam, it must release accumulated upstream water. Currently, releases exceed 2,200 cubic meters per second in stepped increments, with impact assessments every 6 hours. Without additional rainfall, release rates will be controlled not to exceed 2,500 cubic meters per second, a level manageable by flood barriers.
Regarding concerns about delayed disaster declarations in Pathum Thani, Deputy Prime Minister Songsak explained that provincial governors cannot declare disasters immediately without sufficient data. Detailed evidence must meet DDPM criteria to legally allocate aid budgets. Premature declarations without meeting standards could legally jeopardize the governors.
