The top official of Bangkok, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, has issued a warning to residents living around the Chao Phraya River: brace yourselves for heightened water levels due to an unexpected storm surge predicted to happen at around seven in the evening. At the prime age of 57, the city chief unveiled this critical information at the Bangkok City Hall and outlined that the seawater volume has surprisingly transcended its predicted thresholds, resulting in a sea-level spike of 30% on the 28th of October.
This unexpected surge led the waters of the Chao Phraya River to swell, causing a minor overflow into regions adjacent to the river embankments, notably affecting the Dusit district. The sheer amount of seawater volume flooding in was not foreseen, thus communities situated along the Bangkok riverbanks, as well as those near the Chao Phraya River’s mouth in the province of Samut Prakan, are advised to remain cautious and aware.
The proactive city chief Chadchart went into detail about the potential reasons behind this phenomena. One plausible explanation is attributed to the southeast winds brushing against the Andaman Sea, thus driving the waters inland and creating a storm surge. The storm surge refers to the escalation in the sea level, triggered by a tropical hurricane boasting wind speeds of a minimum of 100 km/h. This force drives a massive quantity of water into the river, causing its levels to rise and inevitably flood the surrounding urban neighborhoods.
The time brackets singled out for careful monitoring for peak water heights fall between the early morning till mid-morning times, and again reoccurring approximately around 7 pm in the evening. The erudite Chadchart has further advised the residents bustling along the Chao Phraya River to remain alert. On a reassuring note, most of the areas come equipped with protective river embankments, except for the few points that account for breaches. These areas necessitate the arrangement of additional sandbags.
Despite being well-equipped with sandbags and dikes, regions beyond these embankments need to tread lightly and be prepared for an event of any possible flood, as their geographical reality makes them harder to shield. Chadchart singled out several communities within the Dusit district from his briefings, but as of now, current monitoring reports do not signal alarming circumstances. Residents might observe the Chao Phraya River’s water levels to be slightly higher, but that should be the extent of it.
According to KhaoSod, the northern water currently possesses a volume of approximately 1000 cubic meters per second. However, the threshold before it transitions into a perilous situation is around 2,500 cubic meters per second. Stay tuned to The Thaiger’s FB page for continuous updates on the situation. Remain safe and stay alert!
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