Thammanat Leads Effort to Clear Bridge for Essential Supplies

Bangkok: Thammanat led a team from the Ministry of Agriculture to clear the U-Tapao Canal Bridge of vehicles and open up a traffic lane for transporting food to affected areas. Reporters stated that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Lt. Col. Thammanat Prompao, in his capacity as Director of the Center for Water Management in Natural Disaster Situations (CDMWS), has mobilized forces from agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture, including the Department of Fisheries, the Royal Irrigation Department, and the Royal Rainmaking Department, as well as the private sector and military, to move numerous cars and motorcycles parked and blocking the roads near the U-Tapao Canal Bridge.

According to Thai News Agency, the operation took approximately three hours to clear one lane of traffic, allowing residents in District 8, where water levels have receded significantly, to come out and receive food, drinking water, basic medicines, diapers, sanitary pads, and other essential items.

To assist people in flooded areas, Lt. Col. Thammanat has ordered the Royal Irrigation Department to deploy 10-wheel trucks to transport food and essential supplies. He has also assigned officials to use drones to deliver food and drinking water to people still trapped in high-rise buildings, condominiums, and hotels.

Meanwhile, the Royal Rainmaking Department has installed generators to allow citizens to charge their mobile phones, alleviating hardship at a time when communication remains essential.