Rain Eases, But Flooding Continues in Thailand

Many areas in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province are still under water despite two days without rain

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Many areas in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province are still under water despite two days without rain. A large volume of water, however, is expected to hit the provincial seat’s downtown commercial area in the next few days.

Despite receding floodwater on the Ratchasima-Chokchai and Ratchasima-Chakkarat roads and low lying areas at the entrance of Chamchuree village, travelers still need to be aware of road conditions.

Five low-lying subdistricts in the provincial seat are still flooded, causing outbound lanes of the road in the provincial seat to be impassible. A special lane has been opened for Mitraphab road to Bangkok as other parts of the road remain under 40-50 cm of floodwater.

Hua Talay Hospital in the provincial seat has resumed normal operation after a two-day closure while Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital is watching the water level in Lumtakong Reservoir as runoff from Sikew and Sungnoen districts are expected to flood the downtown in the next few days.

Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital director Narong Apikulvanich said rising water in Lamtakong reservoir has not yet affected the hospital, which is monitoring the flood around the clock.

Dr Narong said a flood prevention dyke has been built and that the hospital’s flood drainage has been fixed. He said the four water-powered automatic gates at the hospital will shut down if water from Lamtakong reservoir is higher than the flood gates. The water level so far has remained 1-2 metres below the floodwall.

The Phanat Nikhom commercial district is under more than one metre of floodwater.

Phan Thong district, which received runoff from Phanat Nikhom, is also fully flooded. Local residents were forced to move their belongings to higher ground

Amata Nakorn industrial estate increased the rate of water release operations into the sea last night.

In nearby Chachoengsao province, floodwaters in three districts have receded and the situation has returned to normal, while five districts remain inundated with water coming from Nakhon Nayok and Prachin Buri provinces.

The water drainage operations into the sea also face difficulty due to the high tide during this period

Ten Ayutthaya districts declared disaster zones

Ten of a total 16 districts in central Thailand’s flood-hit Ayutthaya province have been declared immediate emergency assistance zones.

Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Pewpong on Tuesday declared 10 districts including Bang Ban, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, and Bang Pa-in in the Chao Phraya River basin, Pak Hai, Sena, Bang Sai in the Noi River basin, Tha Rua and Nakhon Luang in the Pasak River basin as well as Maha Rat and Bang Pahan in the Lopburi River basin

Ban Phraek district along the Lopburi River and Wang Noi district along Rapeepat Canal are under consideration as immediate emergency assistance zones.

So far about 53,825 households in 786 villages of Phra Nakhon SI Ayutthaya’s 122 subdistricts have been flooded. The government has promised financial compensation of 33,000 baht per household for all 168,819 people affected by the floods, and officials will be sent to the areas to estimate overall flood damages after the floodwaters recede.

Meanwhile, three crocodiles, one of them a 40-centimetre long baby reptile and two other 70-centimetre crocodiles, have been captured in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province amid receding floodwaters.

The crocodiles reportedly escaped from Poi Pet, a flood-hit Cambodian town, which borders Thailand. Residents living along the Promhod canal have been warned to keep a close watch on their family members and that they should avoid any activities near the canal as there is another 2-metre long crocodile that has not been recaptured. Residents have been urged to immediately inform the authorities if they see the runaway crocodile. – MCOT