Thon Buri is next

The entire Thon Buri area is expected to be submerged within three days as water levels in canals and the Chao Phyara river appear to be too high for defences to cope.

Deep floodwaters near the Boromratchonnanee elevated road on the way toward Taling Chan in Thonburi forced many city people to shift their mode of travel to boats. APICHART JINAKUL

All of Thon Buri faces inundation

Defence of west part of Chao Phraya in jeopardy

The entire Thon Buri area is expected to be submerged within three days due to signs that northern run-off couldoverwhelm attempts by City Hall and irrigation officials to defend the western part of the Chao Phraya River.

With floodwater levels rising by between 50cm and 1m, Chainat Niyomthoon, deputy director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Drainage and Sewerage, expected the water to eventually overflowseveral canals including Khlong Maha Sawat in Thawi Watthana district.

"We have received information about high water levels in several canals, particularly Khlong Maha Sawat, a main canal in the Thon Buri area," Mr Chainat said yesterday.

The BMA and navy were jointly installing 180 sheet piles to reinforce the dyke along Maha Sawat canal but the water level appeared to be too much to handle.

That prompted Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra to announce last night that residents living in all areas of Thawi Watthana should immediately evacuate to higher ground.

Carefree and cheerful, children enjoy floodwater which turns the underpass at the Bang Phlat intersection into a swimming pool-like zone. Nearby Charan Sanitwong Road was flooded by overflow from the Chao Phraya River after parts of theembankment collapsed. PATTARACHAI PREECHAPANICH

Thawi Watthana is the fourth district in Bangkok where people have been ordered to leave their homes, besides Don Muang, Bang Phlat and Sai Mai.

Apart from Khlong Maha Sawat, the southern railway track, which runs parallel to the canal, is another barrier to prevent floodwaters going downstream.

But Chaiyaporn Promsuwan, director of the Irrigation Office's Phra Pimol irrigation project, said the track, which is 3m above sea level, could be inundated and was unable to shield Thon Buri from flooding.

"The southern track may not be able to withstand [the massive volume of floodwater] in the next two to three days. This will result in heavy flooding in Bangkok's Thon Buri and adjacent areas in Nakhon Pathom," Mr Chaiyaporn said.

If floodwaters managed to breach the southern track, the lower part of Bangkok would be badly hit, he added.

"Severe damage will happen if people are not evacuated from the area before anticipated floods arrive," he warned.

Meanwhile, several areas in Bang Khen district have been inundated, forcing residents to leave their houses to take refuge at nine shelter centres in the district.

The BMA has sped up the drainage of water from Khlong Song canal in Sai Mai district through other canals in the adjacent Bang Khen district before draining it to the Chao Phraya River.

The BMA has placed Bang Khen under special watch as a huge amount of the northern run-off was flowing into the district, MR Sukhumbhand said.

The flooding in Bangkok is still worrisome as the water level of the Chao Phraya River is expected to rise to between 2.5-2.6 metres above sea level today as a result of high sea tides.

You can read the full story here: http://bit.ly/sUZLGX

elevated – raised above the ground, or higher than the surrounding area ซึ่งอยู่ในระดับที่สูงกว่าสิ่งอื่น
shift – to change เปลี่ยน
mode – a particular way of doing something; a particular type of something แบบ, วิธีการ
inundation – flooding น้ำท่วม
defence – protecting somebody/something from damage, attack, etc. การป้องกัน, การต้าน
jeopardy – in danger of being harmed or damaged อันตราย,ภัย,การเสี่ยงอันตราย
submerged – under water จมน้ำ อยู่ใต้น้ำ
due to – because of เนื่องจาก
run-off – rain, water or other liquid that runs off land into streams and rivers น้ำหลาก
overwhelm – to cover somebody/something completely ท่วมท้น, ,คว่ำ, ครอบงำ,ปกคลุม
Royal Irrigation Department – The Thai government department in charge of the country's irrigation system กรมชลประทาน
level – the amount of liquid that there is in a container, river, dam, etc., which can be seen by how high the liquid is ระดับ
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) – the local government of Bangkok กรุงเทพมหานคร
drainage – the process of taking away of water or other liquids from an area การระบายน้ำ
sewer – an underground pipe or passage that carries sewage (liquid waste) ท่อน้ำเสีย, ท่อระบายน้ำ
eventually – at the end of a period of time or at the end of a process ในที่สุด
overflow – (of a river or body of water) to flood the land next to it ไหลล้น
jointly – done together อย่างร่วมกัน, พร้อมกัน, ด้วยกัน
pile (or piling) – a large strong post or sheet that is driven into the ground to support a building or other structure เสาเข็ม
reinforce – to make stronger เสริมให้แข็งแรงขึ้น
dyke – a wall built to prevent the sea or a river from covering an area, or a channel dug to take water away from an area เขื่อนกั้นน้ำ
appear – to seem ดูเหมือนจะ, ดูเหมือนว่า
handle – to take action in order to deal with a difficult situation ดูแล, จัดการ
prompted – caused ก่อให้เกิด
residents – people who live in a particular area ประชาชนที่อาศัยในท้องที่
immediately – happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
evacuate – to leave a place because it is not safe อพยพออกจากพื้นที่
carefree – having no worries or responsibilities ที่ไร้กังวล, ที่ไม่มีความกังวลใจ
underpass – a road or path that goes under something such as a busy road, allowing vehicles or people to go from one side to the other ทางใต้ดิน
intersection – a place where roads, lines, etc., join or cross each other สี่แยก
zone – an area that has an important or typical feature; an area where a particular activity is allowed or not allowed พื้นที่, บริเวณ, เขต
embankment – a slope made of earth or stone that rises up from either side of a road, railway/railroad, river, etc. มูลดิน,ตลิ่งทาง
collapse – to fall down suddenly พังลงมา ล้ม, พังครืน
parallel – when the distance between two lines, etc. is the same all along their length ขนาน
barrier – a wall, pile of sandbags, etc., that prevents water from entering สิ่งกีดขวาง
downstream – in the direction that a river or stream is flowing ตามกระแสน้ำ
shield – to protect something ซ่อนจาก, ป้องกัน
withstand – to be strong enough not to be hurt or damaged by extreme force, extreme conditions, etc. ทนทาน
massive – very large ใหญ่มหาศาล
volume – an amount of something ปริมาณ
breach – to break through or over something ข้าม, ทำให้แตก
severe – very serious and worrying ที่รุนแรง ที่น่าเป็นห่วง
anticipated – expected คาดว่าจะเกิดขึ้น
meanwhile – at the same time ในเวลาเดียวกัน
take refuge – to go to a place which provides protection or shelter from danger or trouble ลี้ภัย
shelter – a temporary place to stay ที่พักชั่วคราว
adjacent - very near, next to, or touching ติดกัน