Royal Thai Navy Deploys 20 Water-Pushing Boats to Ease Floods
The Royal Thai Navy has deployed twenty water‑pushing boats in Chachoengsao Province to help drain floodwaters into the Gulf of Thailand. The boats are stationed under two bridges near the Bang Pakong Dam and are expected to move about two million cubic metres of water per day. Officials say the operation should ease flooding that has inundated parts of the province for over a week.
On 3 October 2069, a flotilla of 20 water‑pushing boats from the Royal Thai Navy arrived in Chachoengsao Province. Ten boats were positioned beneath the Chalerm Phrakiat Bridge, while the remaining ten were placed under the Bang Pakong River Bridge at the Bang Pakong Dam site in Bang Kaeo Subdistrict, Mueang Chachoengsao District. Their purpose is to drain water from upstream and downstream of the dam, which originates from Phanom Sarakham, Rachasan, Plaeng Yao and Bang Kla districts. Many areas still have water depths between 30 and 160 cm, with low‑lying spots holding more than two metres of water for over a week. Downstream of the dam, floodwaters have persisted for more than a week in Mueang Chachoengsao, Ban Pho and Bang Pakong districts. Ongoing rain continues to add to the standing water, keeping levels high.
Prachaya Suwannachit, an official from the Royal Irrigation Department, said the 20 boats will push water in the Bang Pakong River out to sea, operating for 16 hours during low tide and pausing at high tide. Each boat can move about 100,000 cubic metres per day, so the fleet can shift roughly two million cubic metres daily. This is expected to accelerate the discharge of floodwater into the ocean, reducing the hardship faced by local residents.
