Government holds urgent meeting to tackle floods in the East and Central regions as a large rain mass approaches from 23-26 September
The government held an urgent meeting to prepare for flood situations in the Eastern and Central regions after the Meteorological Department issued a warning that flooding will occur in the Eastern region, Chonburi, and related areas this week. The meeting of the committee monitoring and assessing flood and drought situations in the Central region was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, and found that from 23-26 September there will be heavy rainfall, especially in the Eastern, Central, and parts of the lower Northern regions. Paradorn Prisananantakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the meeting assigned the National Water Resources Office, the Royal Irrigation Department, and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to present data along with receiving directives. In the Central region, it is estimated that residual water from last week's rainfall in Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Sukhothai, and Uthai Thani provinces will cause water flowing into the Chao Phraya River to rise. The Royal Irrigation Department therefore announced it will increase water discharge at the Chao Phraya Dam to 1,500 cubic metres per second, which will affect low-lying areas in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, parts of Ang Thong, and areas along the Tha Chin river basin such as Suphan Buri province, especially Bang Pla Ma and Song Phi Nong districts. Ekniti instructed that water be managed along a fishbone pattern rather than a single vertical direction, by directing water into several retention fields where farmers have already harvested their crops in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, and parts of Lop Buri, in order to reduce the impact on people in low-lying areas, and instructed the Royal Irrigation Department to release water at an appropriate level without creating additional impacts in other areas. Paradorn confirmed based on the latest forecast that this rain mass will be the last large one before more rain arrives in October, with enough of a gap to drain this mass away, and urged people in the affected areas to follow news closely throughout the next week.
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National Water Resources Office warns of new heavy rain spell from 22-26 September, flood watch in 34 provinces
The National Water Resources Office, or ONWR, has issued a warning urging relevant agencies to prepare for a new spell of heavy rain between 22 and 26 September 2026, after a strong low-pressure cell off the central coast of Vietnam was found to be moving in over Thailand along the monsoon trough. At the same time, the southwest monsoon will strengthen, bringing heavy to very heavy rain in some areas, especially the lower North, the lower Northeast, the Central region, the East, and the upper South. ONWR identified areas at risk of waterlogging, flash floods, forest runoff, and mudslides, covering many provinces such as Mae Hong Son, Tak, Phitsanulok, Uthai Thani, Si Sa Ket, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ranong, Songkhla, and Narathiwat. It also called for close monitoring of sudden rises in water levels and overtopping of riverbanks along major rivers and their tributaries, such as the Moei River, the Yuam River, the Mae Sariang stream, the Wang Thong River, the Phachi River, the Nakhon Nayok River, the Prachin Buri River, Khlong Phra Thueng, Khlong Phra Prong, the Chanthaburi River, Khlong Kapoe, the Sai Buri River, and the Kolok River. For the area downstream of Chao Phraya Dam, inflows through the dam are expected to reach 1,500 cubic metres per second, pushing water levels up by about 0.75 to 1.25 metres from current levels, affecting low-lying areas outside the flood barriers in Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, and Pathum Thani provinces. ONWR asked relevant agencies to continuously monitor weather and water conditions, especially in areas with more than 90 millimetres of accumulated rainfall within a 24-hour period, to inspect and repair riverside embankments, clear waterway obstructions, and manage water in reservoirs and drainage dams in a coordinated way from upstream to downstream. It also urged them to prepare flood response plans, personnel, and machinery, and to issue advance public warnings so that residents can evacuate in time.
FTI warns industry to brace for dual water risks, urges dry-season planning
The Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, has warned the industrial sector to manage two water risks at once: coping with heavy rain and localized flooding in the short term, and ensuring sufficient raw water for the dry season. Prida Watcharienthaisakul, FTI vice chairman and chairman of the Water, Environment and Climate Change Institute, said heavy rain at certain times does not mean every area will have enough water. Data from the Thai Water Resources Information Institute as of September 18, 2026, indicates that from September 18 to 20, 2026, many areas must be on alert for flash floods, forest runoff and waterlogging. Areas at risk from 24-hour accumulated rainfall include Phitsanulok, Chanthaburi, Trat, Nakhon Phanom, Nan, Phrae, Krabi, Chumphon, Trang, Phang Nga, Ranong and Surat Thani. Nationwide accumulated rainfall from January 1 to September 13, 2026, stood at 1,032.6 millimeters, with the eastern South recording rainfall 28 percent below normal, the Central region 18 percent below and the East 13 percent below. Data from the Royal Irrigation Department as of September 18, 2026, shows that 496 large and medium-sized reservoirs held a combined 55,015 million cubic meters, or 72 percent of capacity, with 31,041 million cubic meters of usable water, or 59 percent, which is 4,210 million cubic meters lower than the same period in 2025. The FTI recommends that businesses prepare water management plans at at least three levels: normal conditions, alert conditions and water-scarcity conditions, while accelerating efforts to cut water loss and reuse water. Meanwhile, the FTI's Water, Environment and Climate Change Institute is developing a Water Information & Early Warning system to produce an Industrial Water Risk Map and expand its Water War Room network in line with the FTI's 5I policy, specifically I4 Industrial Infrastructure Reform and I5 Inclusive Sustainability.
