The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has revealed that the construction of flood barriers along Rangsit Prayoonsak Canal has now been 80% completed and is expected to be fully operational at the end of August.
According to Director of the Water Allocation and Drainage Planning of South Rangsit Irrigation Project, under the RID, Pruthipong Tassa-unchuleekul, the construction is aimed at preventing flooding as the rainy season progresses.
The flood walls consist of four sections with the first one located at Chulabhorn Water Gate, which is connected to Khlong 1. The construction was continued to Khlong 3 and then Khlong 5 respectively. The last barrier, of which the completion had to be put off while the required public consultation and survey were underway, is currently being erected at Rangsit Tai, commonly known among locals as Khlong 7.
Mr. Pruthipong said the construction has been carried out with flexibility to allow enough time for any objects to be removed to pave the way for the barrier. It will be up and running at the end of August when the amount of rain is expected to increase.
Around 493 million baht has been spent on building these walls to prevent the deluge while the efficiency of water pumps at several spots has, too, been increased. The additional dredging work has also been carried out at the lower part of Khlong 6 to make room for more water.
[mappress]
Press Release, July 29, 2013