Mae Sai Chiang Rai Floods Again, Sai River Bursts its Banks

After two days of heavy rain, the Sai River at the Thai-Myanmar border once again overflowed its banks, flooding Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, and other communities on the eastern side of Mae Sai town.

The first bridge over the river, connecting Mae Sai Municipality, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, and Tachilek Myanmar, is now over 5 meters high and almost touches the bridge beam.

Flood protection bags were placed to prevent water from overflowing into the Koh Sai community and other communities on the eastern side of the town, but the water overflowed and flooded several communities and parts of Mueang Daeng Road.

On the western side of Mae Sai town before the bridge, water was found to have seeped under the embankment at various points, including some buildings along the river banks from Tham Pha Chom to Sai Lom Choy, flowing into the canal and other communities.

Tham Pha Chom, Hua Fai, and Sai Lom Choy caused mass flooding.

Live Footage of Mae Sai Flooding October 3, 2024

The situation has caused the operation to restore and remove mud from many communities to be suspended because the water has re-flooded those communities again. Many homes and shops that had just cleaned and removed mud had to use sandbags and water pumps again to prevent further flooding.

Meanwhile, the authorities had to announce to the people living along the Sai River banks and near the Koh Sai community that they should temporarily move out of the area until the water level receded.

The military used a backhoe to bring in large flood bags to fill the gaps in the banks of the Sai River. The operation took about an hour to fill the bank, preventing more water from flooding the city’s eastern side.

Authorities must monitor the situation closely because the meteorological department forecasts more rain today, covering Mae Sai and about 70% of Chiang Rai province.

Heavy rain has once again raised the water levels of the Kok River, which may flood low-lying areas in Mueang Chiang Rai, Wiang Chai, Mae Chan, Doi Luang and Chiang Saen districts.

All districts predicted to be affected by Kok River overflows have been advised to have manpower and equipment on standby to cope with flooding and mudslides.