Northeast Thailand must brace for Noru, this weakened typhoon can still wreak havoc
Thai authorities are on high alert for rapidly intensifying Typhoon Noru, which is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm before reaching northeastern Thailand tomorrow, exacerbating misery in the already flooded areas in its path.
According to the forecast from the Thai Meteorological Institute, Noru is expected to make landfall in Vietnam today before weakening to a tropical storm and moving through Laos Thursday evening and then northeastern Thailand at Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen.
It will then degrade into a tropical depression covering the northeast, north and central plains. Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Surin and Buriram have been advised to brace themselves for the heavy rainfall that the storm brings. According to the National Water Command, which monitors the Mekong River, the water level in the international border river is expected to rise from Wednesday to October 2 due to the heavy rainfall caused by the storm.
The Meteorological Institute has warned residents along riverbanks in Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani to prepare for the impact of rising water levels.
Prapit Chanma, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), said he has instructed authorities responsible for irrigation projects in high-risk areas in the Chi and Mun River Basins, as well as the Chao Phraya River Basin in the Central Plains region. , to ensure that water volumes in reservoirs are properly regulated and drained to prepare space for an expected storm surge, in an effort to reduce impact on downstream areas.
Supplied water pumps and water propelling machines will be stationed along the Chi and Mun rivers to ensure that the water is pushed to the Mekong as quickly as possible, he said.
Thaweesak Thanadechopol, deputy director-general of the RID, said large and medium-sized dams across the country have held 54.4 billion cubic meters of combined water volume as of Monday, or about 72% of their combined storage capacity.
That means they can absorb another 21.6 billion cu/m². Notably, the water volume at the Bhumibol dam in Tak was 51% of capacity, while that at the Sirikit dam in Uttaradit was 48%, Thaweesak said.
Kriangkrai Phakphiset, director of the 8th RID office, said heavy rains in lower northeastern provinces such as Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin and Si Sa Ket brought additional water to 76 large and medium-sized reservoirs in the region on Monday. But he gave guarantees of the structural integrity of the reservoirs and the water discharges are proportional to the rates of the water inflow.
Defense Ministry spokesman General Kongcheep Tantravanich said military personnel in 25 flood-affected provinces are working with local authorities to help flood victims and fill bags of sand to build levees around commercial areas and communities. build.
Soldiers have also supported evacuation operations and distributed relief supplies. He said the suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as defence minister, has ordered military units to deploy personnel and machines to support flood relief efforts across the country.
Aekvarunyoo Amarapala, the spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, said the city hall has set up a monitoring centre to issue warnings and coordinate efforts to deal with emergencies. City hall clerk Khachit Chatchawanit said the water discharges from the Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri are expected to affect areas in eastern Bangkok’s Min Buri, Nong Chok and Lat Krabang districts. Residents of low-lying areas and along the khlongs should take precautions
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