AIT flood situation on 21 October 2011, morning update

AIT flood situation on 21 October 2011, morning update
Dear Members of the AIT Community,

 

Since my last update, the Royal Thai Army along with the AIT-Sodexo
team have been working throughout the night, in trying to fix the
damages on the broken dykes along the Phaholyothin road. The repair on
the main damaged dyke was completed 90 percent early this morning which
was a very difficult undertaking.

 
In order to ease the repair work, efforts were also made to reduce
the strong flow of water by blocking and diverting it towards the Phaholyothin road. Pumping
out water through 5 units has been continuous, while one unit had to
undergo minor repairs.
However, due to the scouring of the soil,
the water has weakened and damaged some adjacent sections of
the dykes.
 
In order to expedite the repair process, water was allowed to
overflow our dykes. This has resulted in an increased level of water in
the AIT canals which has over spilled into some of the student and
faculty / staff housing areas. Students from the inundated area of
Student Village-2 were relocated to other locations in the campus
during the night.
 
I understand that the increased water levels might have caused
anxiety among some of the residents. I would like to reassure all
community members that safety is our first and topmost priority, and
should the situation deteriorate, we have put in place necessary
procedures. Due to the increased water levels in the campus, community
members are requested to be more cautious especially in their
movements.
 
As communicated earlier, the Royal Thai Army will be starting work
on the inner dyke from this morning, which is expected to lower the
water flow into the inner AIT canals and periphery.
 
There was
considerable work also done to maintain power in the sub-stations
supplying electricity to the campus. However, for safety reasons the
Sub-Station 8 which supplies electricity to the New Zealand Houses,
Student Villages 1 and 2, ST-4 and Houses 9-14 had to be shut down
recently due to some water penetration, and we are working on this and
will make all efforts to reconnect the power.
 
I have called for a meeting of the “AIT Flood Emergency Operations
Group” this morning to assess the situation and necessary actions that
might need to be taken will be communicated following the
meeting.
 
We thank you once again for your cooperation and vigilance.

 

 
Sincerely,

 
Professor Said Irandoust
President
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)