As typhoon approaches Govt says Bangkok is prepared

Photo: Byron Perry

Thailand’s capital is ready. That’s the message from government officials when asked about Typhoon Wutip (Cantonese for “butterfly”), the 21st storm of the typhoon season, which is expected to make landfall over Vietnam Monday.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered officials to accelerate the drainage of Prachin Buri floodwater into nearby rivers. 

The forecasting centre issued the yellow wave alert Saturday, warning waves as high as 10 meters may occur in the South China Sea. 

The Royal Irrigation Department has warned of more flooding in Ayutthaya and its downstream areas, with the Pasak River set to rise by up to 1.5m Sunday.

Yingluck led a delegation on Sunday to inspect the Krapor Yai sluice gate in the province’s Kabin Buri district, which has been ravaged by floods. 

Yingluck said she had asked officials to install more water pumps at the sluice gate to accelerate drainage of floodwater into the Prachin Buri and Bang Pakong rivers. 

She also ordered local authorities to provide assistance to residents in flood-hit areas and open kitchens to help feed affected locals. 

After it makes landfall, Wutip will weaken, but is expected to be a tropical depression when it moves into the upper Northeast. Heavy rainfall is likely throughout the entire upper half of Thailand, including most of the central plains area, the Bangkok Post reported.