Developing Flood Warning System for Upland Watersheds of the Chao Phraya Basin.
6 th International Study Conferences on GEWAX in Asia and GAME Kyoto International Community House. Japan. December, 3-5. 2004 .

Sutep JUNKHIAW 1, Wit SIVONGS 2,Thada SUKHAPUNNAPHAN 3, Nipon TANGTHAM 4
1

Ph.D. Candidate in Watershed and Environmental Management . Kasetsart University.
2
Ph.D. Candidate in Irrigation Engineering, Kasetsart University.
3
Director of the Upper North Hydrological and Water Administration Center, Royal Irrigation Department.
4
Professor emeritus ,Project Leader of GAME-T Chao Phraya.

Abstract
A study on the development of flood warning system is a part of project entitled "Utilization ofGAME-T Data Bases and Developed Models for Management Integration of the Chao Phraya Basin". Themain objective is to developed the real time flood warning system using equipments and remote transmitting
system developed in the country. The selected study area is Mae Wang watershed – a sub-basin of Ping river
basin, Chaing Mai province where flood frequently occurred. The 4-client stations (5-chanels data logger
with 2-automatic raingage, 2-TDR and 1- air temperature) were installed at Khun Wang, Tung Hlong, Sop
Win and Pun Ton station. The equipment for water level measurement (2-chanels) was also installed at Sop
Win and Pun Ton stations. The signal in Digital Radio Packages(DRP) from 4 - client stations was designed
to transmit to the main server station at the Upper North Hydrological and Water Administration
Center(UNHWAC), Chaing Mai at a given time interval as that operated by SCADA (Supervisory Control
And Data Acquisition) system.
In this study, the system was set to transmit (DRP) data from all client stations to server station every
10 minutes. The developed computer software then translated the DRP- code and sending the data fordownstream flood stage analysis (downstream of Punton station). In case of water level and soil moisture inwatershed indicate at critical condition, the system is set to transmit data at every 1 minute. Preliminary
result shows incomplete DRP signal to the main server but rather clear at Kog-Ma Research station, Doi
Pui (temporary) server. The repeater is now in the process of installation to transmit the DRP from Kog-Mato UNHWAC. The complete systems are hoped to be installed both at the main server station (UNHWAC)
and at the target villages so that it can be operated by local organization.
Keyword : Flood Warning System, Upland Watershed , Chao Phraya Basin.

1. INTRODUCTION
In last 10 years, more than 200 peoples ofThailand were killed with the landslide events,
because the upland watersheds with slope steeper
than 35 percent were converted to agriculture.

Fig.1 The flood and landslide event at Mae Rak subwatershed, Ping river basin.
(September,16.2002)
Flood in Thailand not only major flood butalso flash flood has damaged both the life andproperties since history of Thailand. The measures
to reduce such flood damages can be by engineering

structure and also non-structure. One of the nonengineering structure is flood warning system that
can immediately inform the people living
downstream to take precaution before the flood
reaching to villages. By this system the people
suppose to make decision when the flood discharge
would arrive and how much the time they have toevacuate to the safety locations. With the newtechnology of electric innovation and modern
communication as well as GIS techniques, thedecision support system for flood warning becomes
more common and higher reliable forecasting.
The flood warning system developed in thisstudy is aimed to install in upland watersheds where
flash flood frequently occurred and to facilitate
downstream communities people to be able tooperate so that it can be used as a tools for making
decision whether they suppose to evacuate or inwhat situation they should do in case of having
heavy rainfall on the upstream.

The main target of the research is to designand verify the automatic data transmitting (ADT)system. The digital signal from clients station to theserver was analyzed, and the process of real-time
reporting situation by the network system wasmonitored and adjusted.

automatic raingage, 2-TDR and 1-air temperature)
were installed at Khun Wang, Tung Hlong, Sop Winand Pun Ton station. The equipment for water levelmeasurement (2-chanels) was also installed at Sop
Win and Pun Ton stations(Fig.3).

2. METHODOLOGY
To meet the main aim, the following
procedures have been applied.
1) select the study area where flood frequently
occurred,2) designs the system prototype for datatransmitting and computer modelling in floodcalculating (Fig.3). The system develops could
be sent and received the data from upperstations in every 10 minute,3) develop the early warning network between
server station and users at local area.
4) develop decision support system for flood
warming with people participatory (next phase).
3. STUDY AREA
Mae Wang watershed at located at the upper
ping watershed of Chao Phraya river Basin, Chaing
Mai province (Fig.2.) has been selected to install
and testing the system.

Fig.3: The conceptual model in data transmit fromclient stations to server station.
The signal in Digital Radio Packages (DRP)from 4 - client stations was designed to transmit tothe main server station at the Upper North
Hydrological and Water Administration Center(UNHWAC), Chaing Mai. The DRP developed inthis investigation is shown in Fig.4

Tung Hlong

Sop WinKhun Wang

Pun TonFig.2: Study area: Mae Wang sub watershed atChaing Mai.
4. RESULT AND CONCLUSION
4.1 The prototype of flood warning system
Flood warning system designed anddeveloped based on the concept of SCADA system(Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition)(Daneels A. and W.Salter,1999) was installed at
Mae Wang watershed as shown in Fig.2. The 4client stations (5-chanels data logger with 2-Fig.4: The system of data transmitting will be
designed for the DSS
In the study, the system was set to transmit(DRP) data from all client stations to server station
every 10 minutes. The developed computer softwarethen translated the DRP- code and sending the datafor downstream flood stage analysis (downstream ofPunton station). In case of water level and soil
moisture in watershed indicate at critical condition,the system is set to transmit data at every 1 minute.

4.3 User InterfacePreliminary result shows incomplete DRP
signal to the main server but rather clear at Kog-Ma
Research station , Doi Pui (temporary) server. The
repeater is now in the process of installation totransmit the DRP from Kog-Ma to UNHWAC(Fig.5). The complete systems will be installed bothat the main server station (UNHWAC) and at thetarget villages so that local person can operate it.

In order to ease the users to interface withthe system, the-user-interface was designed topresent the data and flood situation as shown Fig.7.
The traffic light concept (Green→Yellow →Red)
has been applied to inform water level (flood)situation.

Fig.5: Data transmitting from 4-clients station toserver station with repeater station, that
install in Mae Wang watershed, Chaing
Mai.
4.2 Flood Warning Decision Support System
The decision support system for flood
warning in the selected area was designed based on
the relationship and routing time of water level
between Pan Ton station (up) and Sop win (down)using the on-going streamflow measurements atthese stations. At present, the UNHWAC
investigated that the routing time when water levelat Sop Win is at 6.0 meter, it will cause flood atdownstream Pun Ton at 4.0 meter (submerge theagriculture area and village) within 4 hrs (Fig.6).

(a) Pun Ton station(b) Sop Win station

Fig.6: Flood warning instrument for DSS (a) PunTon station is lower station, (b) Sop Winstation is upper station.

Fig.7: The computer models display at serverstation.
5. FUTURE STUDYIn phrase II (2004-2006), The project isdesigned to make Community-Based Decision
Support System for (CBDSS) flood warning. The
CBDSS will be implemented to other watersheds inthe Chao Phraya basin.
The CBDSS is a computer network models,
which analyze automatically the all information forflood event. The stakeholder (the chief of village,water manager, policy maker, water resources
engineer, computer programmer, the expert system)
will be accessed the data display by the network.
This concept is shown Fig.8.

Fig.8: The relationship between DSS and participant
for flood warning. (Source : J.L.
Bennett,1987)
6. REFERENCE
Bennett, J.L. 1987. Tools for Building Advanced
User Interface, International Business
Machines Corporation, Reprinted withpermission from IBM System Journal,
Vol. 25.
Daneels A. and W. Salter. 1999. Selection andEvaluation
Systemsoffor

Commercial

SCADA

theofControls

theCERNLHC Experiments. International
Conference on Accelerator and Large
Experimental Physics Control Systems.
1999.