City Hall is tightening security and safety measures for the Loy Krathong festival on Monday night, including lowering the maximum number of passengers allowed to stand on a pier at any one time.
The authorities want the structures to withstand weight at 75% of their maximum load capacity.
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced the measure yesterday after inspecting several piers on the Chao Phraya River.
Only 60 people will be allowed on a pier that normally can accommodate a maximum of 80 people at one time, said Pol Gen Aswin who was inspecting the piers as part of a boat service survey on the river.
Public concerns over the safety of boat travel were raised this week after Thursday's deadly accident in which a 50-year-old man drowned after falling from a Khlong Saen Saep commuter boat into the canal. Rushing to disembark from the crowded boat that had yet to be moored properly, the victim lost his footing and fell into the canal.