The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will today start a big clean-up of city-centre roads after the Songkran celebrations wind up.

The filth comes from the powder, even though authorities tried to ban people from smearing each other with it, and the huge volume of garbage left behind by revellers.

Phra Nakhon district director Rerngsak Horareung says he will bring 300 staff from four district offices to clean Khao San, Din So, Rambuttri, Chakkapong, Kraisri and Samsibhang roads as well as the Banglamphu area.

Khao San Road will be one of the many Bangkok areas being washed today.

Cleaning staff from three other district offices - Dusit, Pomprapsattrupai and Sampanthawong - will also start work at 7.30am.

Rerngsak says he has assigned some staff to collect garbage and will use 20 trucks to hose away the powder. The clean-up is expected to be completed by the end of today.

Clean-up operations in Silom Road will begin at 9am, according to Sompol Intranont, assistant director of Bang Rak district office. About 50 staff, along with trucks armed with high-pressure water hoses, will be brought into the area.

Sompol says most of the garbage left on Silom Road were plastic bags although there was plenty of white powder, as smearing people has always been more popular than throwing water among revellers over the years.

He expects the cleaning in Silom Road to be completed before noon.

On the long trek home

People started making their way to Bangkok yesterday even as the Transport Co began getting ready to bring back the 1.07 million people who used its bus services between April 9 and 13.

Wuthichat Kalyanamit, the company's executive manager, says Bangkokians started heading back yesterday evening. Traffic on main roads to the capital are expected to be heavily congested until Thursday morning.

Passengers at Mor Chit 2 bus terminal complained about the lack of taxis yesterday. In fact, at one bus terminal in Nakhon Ratchasima, people had to form a 10-metre queue to buy tickets, while many people were stranded at a second terminal in the province.

Chiang Mai Provincial Land Transport yesterday increased its out-bound buses by 25 per cent.

The Public Health Ministry is providing more than 70,000 staff to help motorists return safely and will be on standby around the clock on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsap says 5,791 teams are ready to help, including 1,500 medical staff, 15,756 nurses and 55,384 rescue workers.

He has also urged people to call the 1669 hotline to report accidents.

The total road toll for the first four days of Songkran was 229 deaths and 3,315 injures, slightly less than in the same period last year. On Monday, there were 49 deaths and 801 injuries on the road.