Patthapong urged the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to urgently fix the disaster database system following delays in warnings and inconsistent information that confused the public. Je Set acknowledged real problems with data integration, saying even he does not use the system and that it requires severe improvements.
1 Oct 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Patthapong Leelaphat, Member of Parliament for Chiang Mai District 8 from the Prachachon Party and chairman of the parliamentary committee on natural disaster prevention and mitigation. He raised a live oral question to the Prime Minister during a parliamentary session regarding the government's handling of the flood situation. The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Minister Je Set Thai Set of the Ministry of Interior, overseeing the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), to respond to the question on his behalf.
Patthapong said a key problem the public faces is inconsistent data from government agencies. For example, water discharge figures from the Chao Phraya dam ranged from 2,200 to 2,800 cubic meters per second, reported by various individuals and agencies, while actual discharge volumes continued to rise, with plans to increase to 2,500 cubic meters per second.
When government data is inconsistent, how can the public know which information is accurate and prepare in advance? Additionally, for the Mae Klong dam, the Royal Irrigation Department reported a maximum discharge of 2,500 cubic meters per second, but the DDPM's Cell Broadcast message warned of a possible 3,000 cubic meters per second. This discrepancy directly affects assessments of water levels impacting local residents.
It is clear that coordination between water management agencies and disaster management agencies is problematic. The question is how will the government improve the Cell Broadcast standard operating procedures (SOP) so local agencies can quickly send specific information about evacuation areas and situation severity to the public?
Je Set explained that the DDPM uses data from the Meteorological Department and forecasts for warnings. The Cell Broadcast Extreme Alert level means immediate evacuation is required, not a prompt to start packing or moving vehicles, while the Information level serves as an early warning. He admitted that some areas, including Bangkok, experience delayed warnings. He took responsibility to fix these issues locally. Cell Broadcast is a new system, and DDPM, provincial governors, district chiefs, and related agencies must learn and improve joint usage.
Patthapong then questioned the government's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) system, saying disasters cannot be managed separately by province or ministerial region because water situations cross areas—for example, water from Pathum Thani flows into Bangkok and then to Samut Prakan. Therefore, a central database is needed so the government can see the overall situation and allocate resources. However, a survey of the EOC mapping system on the DDPM website on 30 Sep 2026 at 14:47 showed only six provinces in preparedness status, two provinces issued warnings, and zero declared disaster areas, despite severe flooding occurring in multiple areas.
The system cost 116 million baht in 2024-2025, but if the EOC data does not reflect reality, how can the government make decisions on provinces exceeding their capacity, resource allocation, or assess other risk areas like hazardous waste sites or heavy metal contamination zones?
Deputy Minister Je Set responded by admitting that the DDPM website Patthapong cited does have real problems; even he does not use it. Currently, the EOC uses data directly from responsible agencies instead. He acknowledged data linkage issues between provincial and central EOCs, saying DDPM cannot effectively monitor how each province manages or resolves issues. The department must drastically improve connections between provinces and the national command center. ."