Ayutthaya Residents Dump Rubbish at Parliament Over Repeated Flooding
Ayutthaya residents presented a petition at Parliament on September 23 demanding better flood management after water levels rose nearly one meter in two districts, citing inadequate warning and poor drainage coordination by government agenc
On 23 September 2025 at 1 p.m. at the Parliament building, former Ayutthaya MP Tawiwoong Tattawiong of the Thai People Party, along with Puay Saengnag and local residents, submitted a letter to Jetsada Dontrisena, a Pathum Thani MP from the Thai People Party and vice-chair of the water resources management committee, regarding flood drainage in Ayutthaya Province and the central region.
Tattawiong said he was representing Ayutthaya residents to voice concerns about increased water discharge into the Chao Phraya River as the province faces fresh flooding. He listed multiple government failures, starting with flawed forecasting: the government had predicted drought this year, but heavy rain fell across the central region last week, not just Bangkok, invalidating that prediction. The Chao Phraya Dam's drainage operations have since caused water levels to surge.
Water has risen nearly one meter in Bang Baal and Sena districts, giving residents insufficient warning to prepare. The Royal Irrigation Department notified the public only on the evening of the previous day that it would discharge 1,500–2,000 cubic meters per second, though releases began the afternoon before. Tattawiong urged the government to issue alerts at least 2–3 days in advance to minimize household losses.
He proposed that the government accelerate water drainage into designated retention areas and coordinate with Ang Thong MP Praphad Parisnanantakul to inform Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithumphrasap and Finance Minister Ekniti about scaling up the Chao Phraya Dam's left and right spillways, which currently handle only 450–500 cubic meters per second.
Tattawiong emphasized that retention area drainage should not be confined to Ayutthaya but should include upstream provinces—Sing Buri, Chai Nat, and Ang Thong—where paddy fields need harvesting before water is diverted. Ayutthaya now bears the heaviest and largest flood burden. He also called for urgent attention to the Noi River and Bang Luang Canal areas affecting Sena, Pakhai, and Bang Baal districts, where residential flooding is already severe.
The most critical issue, he said, is clearing a bottleneck at Hua Wiang subdistrict, where the Noi River and Bang Luang Canal converge and prevent further drainage toward the broader Chao Saison field retention area, which has large capacity and multiple irrigation canals. Clearing this could provide immediate relief to Ayutthaya residents.
Tattawiong lamented that the government's current response hardly differs from last year's massive flooding in 2024. No lessons appear to have been learned. He called on the Prime Minister to act.
