Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to establish a daily flood war room to coordinate nationwide data and speed up emergency responses.
The war room will meet every morning at 8am, collecting information from agencies and affected provinces for a national overview and immediate instructions, Mr Anutin said on Wednesday.
He said the arrangement was needed to monitor flooding, identify problems and local needs, and ensure agencies could respond quickly. All agencies were instructed to share information and coordinate operations, particularly where water could not be drained efficiently because surrounding areas remained flooded.
Mr Anutin ordered provincial governors to monitor conditions and report regularly, while the department was made the central hub for linking flood information. Various agencies were also told to provide consistent public updates to prevent confusion.
The government will prioritise evacuating residents and protecting lives, while deploying pumps, emergency machinery, personnel, mobile toilets and shelters to high-risk areas in advance. Provinces were also told to assess damage and speed up compensation, he said.
The war room comes as the government monitors renewed dam releases in Kanchanaburi, which are expected to raise Mae Klong riverbank levels by about 80cm from Sept 30 to Oct 4, posing risks in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram.
Government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises said rainfall had eased but the Meteorological Department expects thunderstorms, strong winds and some heavy rain from Oct 4-6, including in Bangkok. Nationwide flooding has affected 1.71 million rai and caused 40 deaths, he added.