For the situation report today, in northern Bangkok, water is effectively being held back by the Big Bags, and water trapped in areas are receding and major roads should be useable in 7 to 10 days.

 

In eastern Bangkok, water is still increasing but at a slower pace and some areas are still under close watch because they are low-lying.

 

Bang Shun Industrial Estate is experiencing water levels at 20-40 cm., but water pumps are being utilized effectively to pump out the water. Meanwhile, Rama 2 Rd. continues to be useable, but with water seeping in to nearby communities at 10-30 cm. Authorities are working to remove barriers along Rama 2 so that the road and its parallel canals can be used to send out floodwater to the Gulf of Thailand.

 

In addition, the overland flow, or flood water remaining in the plains, has a current volume of 11 billion cubic meters, but the volume that will affect Bangkok is only 3 billion cubic meters. For the flood run off, this is being controlled, especially at Ladkrabang Industrial Estate, so that it will not be higher than 1.6 meters from the mean sea level. In general, water from the west of Chao Phraya and from the north are receding, but in Bangkok the levels are stable. This is a good sign when compared to last week when the water was increasing at 50 to 60cm. per day.

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also announced today additional areas of caution, namely, in areas of Praves district, Sapan Soong, and Bangkok Yai. However, from scientific assessment, inner Bangkok should not be severely affected, unless there are unforeseen circumstances.

 

The FROC would like to thank all foreign countries for the assistance provided.  One such cooperation program is between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, from the Japanese side with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, or GISTDA, from the Thai side. Between the 5th of November to the end of the month, JAXA, with the assistance of the Japanese Embassy, is using an aircraft they brought in earlier, equipped with the Pi-SAR-L airborne radar observation  system developed in Japan, to support the Royal Thai Government in solving the flood situation as a contribution of JAXA to Thailand. This system can observe land surface in all weather conditions, day and night. The images will support the work of GISTDA in terms of providing a very precise view of the terrain affected by the floods and the movement of water mass.

 

This is one example of the cooperation received from friends around the world, which we appreciate and will continue to expand for the most effective results. There is a very long list of assistance received from countries around the world. Some are of hi-technology, some are valuable expertise, some are basic necessities, some are the equipment that we need such as water pumps, water filters, and boats. These assistance are equally appreciated, and highly valued by the Thai people. Total monetary assistance is now over 8 million USD, and another 7 million USD is being transmitted. Relief supplies and equipment have been valued at around 40 million USD.

 

In addition, there have been very good efforts of foreign embassies in Thailand in jointly monitoring the flood situation, for example, the embassies of European Union member countries produce a daily flood situation report. This is another channel for their citizens to follow the situation closely and is in line with the Royal Thai Government's request for foreign embassies to act as another channel to disseminate information, as discussed with embassies during the briefing in the past week at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

This week the United States is hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Thailand is a member economy. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra opted to stay in the Kingdom to continue to work on alleviating the sufferings of the people as caused by the floods. The Prime Minister sent a video message to the business forum there, stressing that there is already 1.42 billion USD prepared for the post-crisis rehabilitation phase, for rehabilitation of key industries and the agricultural sector, as well as remedies and assistance that will be ready for industrial estates affected to resume operations in 45 days. In addition, a large budget for soft loans has been prepared for SMEs and businesses of all sizes.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Kittirat na Ranong and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul are attending the APEC meetings on the Prime Minister's behalf, where they are boosting foreign investor confidence by explaining that the country has clear plans to restore growth after the severe floods. The inundation has not totally destroyed trade and manufacturing, but only parts of some industries. The Foreign Minister also informed the Asia Pacific Business Forum of the resilience of the Thai people in the face of past difficulties, and that Thailand will quickly get back on its feet to continue to be a responsible player in regional and global affairs.

 

Finally, for foreign citizens, please continue to monitor the situation and always be prepared. The FROC will continue to work to mitigate the flood situation and ensure the safety and well-being of the general public.

 

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