Integrated plan for Bang Rakam floods
Phitsanulok's Bang Rakam district will be used as a pilot project in an attempt to solve floods across the country, while a "one-stop service" relief centre will be set up to give effective and rapid help to victims, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday.
They consider Bang Rakam in Phitsanulok as a pilot project, namely the Bang Rakam Model, for integrated solutions to stop floods. It includes excavating two waterways and building sluice gates in Phitsanulok and Sukhothai to push water from the Yom River to the Nan River faster.
Yingluck also said the ICT ministry would link all data with computer systems so that the information on flood situations was fully co-ordinated.
She urged for the Interior Ministry to set up a "one-stop service war room" where related agencies cover tasks such as the Royal Irrigation Department's work with the Agriculture Ministry in finding more water retention areas.
After, Yingluck said the budget for setting up a "war room" wouldn't be much but, more importantly, integrated decision making should create smoother work and help do urgent issues. She has also ordered the Agriculture Minister to propose farm compensation measures.
Yongyuth said the ministry would start work on the Bang Rakam Model right away, as it already had a plan to tackle floods and steps to take. He said the Comptroller General's Department told him they could get extra funding besides the Bt50 million in "emergency cash" the government has allotted to each province for disasters.
So far Sukhothai had asked for Bt200 million, while officials in Phrae and Nan had sought an extra Bt50 million each. Remedial payments for damaged homes or farm produce would remain the same as under the previous government, he said. If there was to be more assistance, it would be unveiled in the government's policy declaration to Parliament.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Wibul Sanguanpong said that floods continued to ravage 12 provinces: Sukhothai, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phetchabun, Nakhon Nayok, Ayutthaya, Roi Et, Kalasin, Ubon Ratchathani and Angthong.
About 928,000 people, had been affected with 33 killed and one missing.
Meteorological Department chief Torsak Wanichkhajorn warned that Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima may flood at the end of the month due to the Chi River rising.
Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri and Ayutthaya may also flood next month due to heavy rain and run-off from the North, while the southern province of Surat Thani should brace for storm-triggered floods in October.
In Phitsanulok, some 46,171 people in eight districts and 230,000 rai of farmland have been hit by floods. Ten schools had to shut temporarily. Kamnan Manas Thabphaeng from Tambon Chumsaeng Songkhram in Bang Rakam district said he was happy the PM recognised the importance of people's suffering, which they have endured for three decades. Manas is a leader who has called for the Kaeng Sua Ten Dam to be built. He urged the government to assist and pay compensation to flood victims rapidly while also tackling the repetitious flood problem in the Yom River basin.
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