Six dams are in danger of collapsing under water pressure
Six reservoirs in the northeast are so full of water that the dams are in danger of collapsing.
Significantly more water will now have to be discharged from it, which means that more flooding is to be expected. The only bright spot in all the water misery is Chiang Mai. There the water begins to recede. The water level in the Ping River dropped to 3,7 meters last night.
The six threatened dams are the Sirindhorn and Pak Moon in Ubon Ratchatani, the Chulabhorn and Huay Kum in Chaiyaphum, the Ubonrat in Khon Kaen and the Nam Phung in Sakhon Nakhon. To give an impression of the amounts of water: the water flow to the Ubonrat reservoir has increased in the past few days from 40-50 million cubic meters per day to 90 million yesterday. This means that 50 to 70 million liters of water must be discharged per day instead of 34 million.
Elsewhere in the country, the reservoirs are also bursting with water. The Bhumibol Reservoir is 93 percent full. Within a week it will be filled to the brim, the Irrigation Department expects. Instead of 28 million cubic meters of water per day, 41 million is now being discharged. The water discharge from other reservoirs in the North is also increased.
Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra is confident that Bangkok will keep its feet dry. According to him, the flood walls can handle the higher water level of the Chao Praya River. The river is expected to reach its highest water level on October 3 and 4.
So far, the floods have claimed 188 lives and 2 million people have been affected by the water. The damage in Chiang Mai province alone is estimated at 5 billion baht.
Prime Minister Yingluck has ordered her ministers to enter the country, visit flooded areas and report on the latest developments and relief operations. Ministers have also been instructed to consider additional stimulus measures for the economy in view of the European debt crisis, which will slow global economic growth. Last week, the Ministry of Finance lowered its forecast for domestic economic growth in 2011 from 4,5 to 4 percent. Another 4,5 percent is expected for next year.
The transport sector is starting to feel the discomfort of the floods. The main road to the north, the Asian Highway, is under water in the provinces of Ang Thong and Sing Buri. The trucks have to make long detours to reach their destination. Several factories in Ayutthaya have had to temporarily close their doors and in some areas they are short of raw materials. DHLExpress Thailand, the leader in parcel delivery, is only experiencing problems in Chiang Mai, customers in Ayutthaya have been warned to place orders in a timely manner while they are still available. Freight transport by train has come to a standstill in a number of places because railway tracks are under water.
The title sounds very frightening: 6 checkers are about to collapse. But I don't read any arguments showing that the dams are about to burst. Are there cracks in the dam? Has it sagged or shifted? Or is this pure scaremongering?
Surely it should be known what the maximum amount of water is that can stand against the dam? Or is this done in Thai style?
The Thai never dare to swim at a dam because the water is so deep there. Whether you drown in 2 or 20 meters of water remains the same, but I can't make them understand that.
Yes title evokes fear. But I understand that the reservoirs are "full" and the dams are still working, have to be opened "for a while" and a large part of Thailand will get even wetter feet. The misery this year is incalculable, but like many last year, it will probably repeat itself in the coming years if nothing structural is done.
At the moment we are still dry in our part of the Isaan, but I sympathize with the many people who lose everything again.
We noticed how scary a little bit of flooding can be today when we did some shopping at Lotus in Nongkhai. Within 2 hours we were there with our truck under water up to the steps when we wanted to leave the parking lot. Some streets in the city center were full and even the highway was flooded in places.
What a misery people must have who really live in the wrong areas and that area is getting bigger and bigger. A friend in Cheyapun reported that food is delivered to people's homes daily by boat. Other areas are 1 to 3 meters under water, what is left of your house and scanty stuff. Last year, an average family that saw everything lost in this body of water received 5.000 baths of state aid, just over 100 euros.
It is now October, shouldn't the dry season start now.?
Incidentally, I forgot to write that Dick always has very good pratical to the point information, which we can use.
Headlines in a newspaper aim to entice the reader to read the article. They are often more absolute than the article suggests. Sometimes they exaggerate a bit. Hence: threatening to succumb. Of course they don't, because water is discharged in time. If you want to know how full the reservoirs are, see: homepage http://www.dickvanderlugt.nl/
i live in ayutthaya, this morning around three o'clock a dike was broken on the Chao Phraya river. No one was warned.
At 08.30 am I saw the adjacent building standing with water, I knew something was wrong.
In one hour we got about 30 cm.
Now the water is at the door threshold.
No help from anywhere, my wife and I started dragging sacks everywhere, we also had another 800 kg of sand here.
Received bags from a good man (thai). Fill yourself.
No one seen from the emergency services, not a soldier, not a thamruat, not a pompier.
No one. Each to his own, TIS.
Water up to the knees.
Later in the day a truck will bring 2000 kg of sand to a higher part. What do you do with sand without bags, nothing, making sandcastles. We are now in for a scared night, my front door and back door are secured, but for how long?
Emergency services in Thailand, forget it.
Looks like you still have power and internet. I didn't expect that when everything is under water. Do you still benefit from those electricity poles and cables in the air!