BANGKOK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thai authorities on Monday warned residents in western Thailand against water runoffs from a dam in Petchburi Province bordering Myanmar.
The Phetchaburi Irrigation Department said the Kaeng Krachan Dam had already received up to 708 million cubic meters of water till Monday, or 99.7 percent of its capacity.
Phetchaburi's five districts downstream from Kaeng Krachan Dam are warned of further flooding due to water discharge from the dam.
The department said that municipal area will come under water about 25-30 cm deep and flow downstream to the Ban Laem district.
The Crisis Ad Hoc Center has dispatched 20 water-pushing boats to pump water from the Khlong D Canal into the sea.
Since Saturday night, hundreds of residents were seen filling sacks of sand to place them in front of their houses to fend off flood water.
The ad hoc center was also preparing to evacuate residents to higher grounds.
The Kaeng Krachan Dam, a multi-purpose dam built in 1966, stands at 760 meters long and 58 meters high.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chayapol Thitisak said on Monday that nine provinces in the northeastern region were still affected by flooding as a result of heavy rain and overflow from the Mekong River.
"With the monsoonal rain, we have seen 100,000 people affected by flood and landslides in 27 provinces in just two weeks," said Chayapol. "It will take at least two months for flood water to recede."
