During that period of the year when there are the inundating water from the North and
high sea-level rise including this year’s incident in which large volume of water was
inundating from October to November, Klong Lad Pho flood gate under the royal
initiative acts as a tool in managing water around the lower area of Chao Phraya River.
It alleviates the fallout from inundating water effectively by releasing water to the Gulf of
Thailand on the average of 40 million cubic meters per day and the operation result from
August to 15 November 2010 shows that it could sluice water approximately 2,470 million
cubic meters in total. This is moderately large amount of water that should be drained to
the Gulf of Thailand.
Furthermore, Klong Lad Pho flood gate under the royal initiative has the ability to
generate electricity from hydro power. The Royal Irrigation Department collaborates
with Kasetsart University to conduct the research by inventing 2 types of hydroelectric
turbines: Axial Flow and Cross Flow by using original propellers which are analysed and
created one followed the type of axial flow with the diameter of 2 meters and another one
with the diameter of 1 meter and 2.50 meters as the length that have water speed of 2
meters per second. They will be able to generate 5 kW as the highest. Two kinds of
turbines have been processed with the installation of movable metal structure at the end
of Klong Lad Pho flood gate to test electricity generating. To the surprise, turbines are
capable of producing 5.74 kW, higher than the analysis and calculation made before.
The building of flood gate is made of steel-reinforced concrete. It has 4 flood gates of 14-
meter width and 9.55-meter height. The gates will be closed during the dry season.
During the flood season, gates will be closed when the sea level is rising and will be
opened when the sea level is decreasing. The construction was initiated on 13 November
2002. It was completed in June 2006 with the budget of 509 million baht. Apart from
being the floodgate, His Majesty the King conveyed his initiative to consider converting
water power passing through Klong Lad Pho to electricity by designing the hydroelectric
turbines to tap power from the speed of water flow and installing at the flood gates to
produce electricity which can generate 5.74 as the highest per day.