Bangkok: Authorities in Thailand are dredging canals and building waterway shortcuts around Bangkok in a bid to protect the capital from the country's worst floods in decades.
Government spokesman Wim Rungwattanajinda said on Thursday that main canals east and west of Bangkok will be excavated by Friday to allow more water to flow from the flooded upper provinces.
He says authorities will also dig canal shortcuts to help drive water to the sea.
Wim says Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged agencies to redirect water to the sea by Sunday in the event of more rainfall or a new tropical storm.
At least 283 people have been killed from floods and mudslides in Thailand since late July.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, October 13, 2011, 16:33