After the briefing concluded, the prime minister traveled to the Wangdarn sea port to examine the construction of the dam. During the dry season, the dam will be used to store water; when heavy rain falls, the floodgates will be opened to protect against the possibility of a flood.

Since the purpose of the prime minister’s trip was to review flood preparations, Governor Diskul delivered an update on the expansion of the Ping River. Workers had dug a depth of two meters, he explained, but could not expand the width due to various obstacles that were in the way. Nevertheless, authorities have concluded that the depth improvements have allowed for a smoother and faster flow of water through the river. To ensure this smooth flow of water, the next task will be to work on the five connections between the water channels, located in Chiang Mai and Lampoon. The prime minister emphasized the urgency of this next task, which will need to begin by the end of July. Therefore, she has charged Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of Interior) Yongyuth Wichaidit and Minister of Science and Technology Plodprasop Suraswadi with providing all necessary resources needed to complete the next step of this project.

The prime minister also tasked Chiang Mai officials with keeping a close tab on all developments related to the water channel construction, and charged the Minister of Commerce and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives to support agricultural projects in the area as a way to combat illegal trespassing. She added that the military would also help with all these water channel construction projects, from digging deeper rivers to ensuring smoother connection points in Chiang Mai, Lampoon and beyond.

The prime minister explained that the military is stepping in to help because of the number of their troops and their readiness. Any other civilian teams would have to go through a time-consuming hiring and training process, which would waste valuable time. In addition, the prime minister added that Chiang Mai authorities should centralize their warning and water level systems, which will allow the government to compile and record accurate flood data.