Thai Agriculture Minister Orders Full Flood Relief Efforts Amid Rains
The Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungrueangkit announced extensive flood‑relief measures, ordering the Irrigation Department to deploy pumps, machinery and naval assistance across several provinces to drain floodwaters and prepare for more rain. Relief packages have been distributed to affected communities, and officials are monitoring water levels in the North and South to mitigate further impact.
He reported that the Irrigation Department has installed eight water‑push devices at the Tha Lat canal in Chachoengsao Province, with additional support from Irrigation Office 7 and the Royal Thai Navy, which deployed 20 push‑boat units to discharge water into the Gulf of Thailand. In Chonburi Province, Irrigation Office 8 supplied water‑push machines and generators to the Panthon district to pump water and improve drainage. Similar measures were taken in Nakhon Pathom, where Irrigation Office 11 set up pumps at sluice gates, and in Bangkok, where Irrigation Office 3 installed electric pumps in Bang Kapi and the Phasi Charoen project to speed up flow in the Tha Chin River. Preparations also included delivering four water‑push sets to the Mae Klong Basin’s Irrigation Office 13 and moving four hydraulic pumps from Irrigation Office 6 to support operations in Pak Kret, while the Machinery Division 7 assisted Kaeng Krachan and the Pho Phraya project in strengthening small dykes. The minister added that teams are monitoring water levels in Chiang Mai’s Ping River and opening all sluice gates ahead of heavy rain expected from October 5‑7, while surveillance continues in Narathiwas and relief packages have been handed out in Chanthaburi.
