Thai capital escapes floods as waters recede

BANGKOK?? The government expressed confidence Sunday that Bangkok will escape Thailand's worst flooding in decades, as the capital's elaborate barriers held strong and floodwaters receded from submerged plains to the north.

Floods have killed 297 people since late July and caused $3 billion in damage. A third of the country is under water but officials believe low-lying inner Bangkok will be spared after the strengthening of its system of defensive dikes and canals.

"The government's operations are proceeding well ... As for the current water level, it is satisfactory and it's quite certain that water will not flood Bangkok," said Police General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a spokesman at a crisis center set up at the city's old Don Muang airport.

Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut said the largest mass of runoff water flowing southward had passed through Bangkok's Chao Phraya river and into the Gulf of Thailand, and that the river's levels would rise no higher. He stopped short of saying the threat to Bangkok had passed completely.

The capital is being shielded by an elaborate system of flood walls, canals, dikes and underground tunnels. But if any of the defenses fail, floodwaters could begin seeping into the city of 9 million people.

Video: Thailand faces flood disaster (on this page)

The north, northeast and center of Thailand have been worst hit by the flooding and Bangkok ? much of it only 6.5 ft above sea level ? is at risk as water overflows from reservoirs in the north, swelling the Chao Phraya river that winds through the densely populated and low-lying city.

"People have faith these walls will work," a saffron-robed monk named Pichitchai said as he peaked over stacks of sandbags added in recent days to help protect a Buddhist temple along a canal in northwestern Bangkok. The 36-year-old uses only one name.

The agriculture minister said floodwaters in the provinces of Singburi, Angthong and hard-hit Ayutthaya have begun to recede, signaling that the pressure on the capital could ease.

"I can confirm that the highest possible level of water has already subsided," Theera told reporters. "The water level in the Chao Phraya will not be higher than the barriers."

Relentless rains
Relentless monsoon rains that began inundating the country in late July have affected two-thirds of the country, drowning agricultural land, swamping hundreds of factories and swallowing low-lying villages along the way.

More than 200 major highways and roads have been shut along with the main rail lines to the north since the rains began.

Story: US Marines arrive to assess Thailand's 'worst' ever flood

The most affected provinces are just north of Bangkok, including Ayutthaya, which is home to a series of ancient and treasured stone temples. Water there and in other towns has risen in some places six-feet-high, forcing thousands of people to abandon their homes.

Floods have swallowed up homes and forced a series of huge industrial parks to close, including the Bang Pa-In estate in Ayutthaya on Saturday. Another estate, Factory Land in Ayutthaya, which has 93 factories employing 8,500 employees, flooded in the early hours of Sunday.

The river was reported to be at a record high level of seven feet at one point on Saturday but the embankment wall running along it in inner Bangkok is at least 2.5 meters high and has been raised along vulnerable stretches.

Interactive: Asia floods: Kills thousands, cost billions (on this page)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought to reassure residents they should be safe but people have still stocked up on bottled water, instant noodles, rice and canned goods, emptying shelves in some major markets.

Many have parked their cars in elevated garages and piled sandbags in front of shop-houses and homes.

Water from the north approached Bangkok over the weekend, coinciding with high estuary tides that hamper the flow of water into the sea.

"We will protect strategic areas and the heart of the economy such as industrial zones, the central part of all provinces and the Thai capital as well as Suvarnabhumi Airport, industrial estates and evacuation centers," Yingluck said on Saturday, referring to Bangkok's main international airport.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44918442/ns/weather/

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