Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai Flooded After Sai River Overflows

The Sai River has again flooded the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand after hours of heavy rain caused it to overflow.

Overnight, heavy rain along the Thailand-Myanmar border caused forest runoff to inundate commercial areas and communities in the border district of Mae Sai, Chiang Rai.

This is the second instance Mae Sai district has been flooded since August.

Around 2:00 a.m., the Sai River overflowed into downtown Mae Sai due to the rapid rise in water level caused by hours of heavy rain.

The swollen river rose so rapidly that officials could not issue a prior warning to local residents. Consequently, many were unable to move their belongings to higher ground.

At approximately 5:15 a.m., some floodwaters began to recede, but the rain continued.

Some portions of the riverbank collapsed, causing water to flood the communities of Koh Sai and Mae Lungkhon in tambon Mae Sai. In some areas, the floodwater was 50 centimetres deep.

It was the second time this rainy season that Mae Sai was flooded. On August 14, sudden floods and forest runoff inundated several districts’ communities.

In the Mae Chan district, the Doi Tung mountain-draining Mae Rai creek overflowed and flooded San Kong village in tambon Mae Rai. Homes, businesses, and roads were flooded. Strong currents partially eroded the Wat San Kong wall.

Saturday, Mae Sai district chief Narongphol Khid-arn and Mae Sai municipality mayor Chaiya Srisamut led an inspection of the affected areas to assist flood victims.

The Mae Sai police said officers had been dispatched to help those affected by flooding.

Meanwhile, in the central province of Ayutthaya, chiefs of eleven districts and officials inspected flooded areas and assisted residents on Saturday.

In the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district, 862 out of 1,320 houses in the tambon Ban Kum district of Bang Ban were flooded.

Krit Kaewthonglang, head of the district’s office for disaster prevention and mitigation, reported that floodwaters reached the upper floors of some two-story homes.

Local officials attempted to convince elderly people to leave their flooded homes and stay in a temporary shelter, but 38 elderly people refused because they wanted to protect their homes.

The authorities in Nonthaburi have declared portions of the districts of Muang, Pak Kret, and Bang Yai to be disaster areas due to flooding.

Suthee Thongyaem, the governor of Nonthaburi, stated that the three districts are still dealing with the heavy rains and flooding brought on by tropical storm Noru a week ago.

He said that massive amounts of rainwater had entered the reservoir behind the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province, causing the water level to rise between 30 and 60 centimetres downstream areas.

In the district of Pak Kret, seven tambons and 46 villages have been declared disaster areas. They were Bang Plab (villages Moo 1-5), Tha It (villages Moo 1-10), Koh Ket (villages Moo 1-7), Om Ket (villages Moo 1-6), Khlong Phra Udom (villages Moo 1-6), Bang Tanai (villages Moo 1-5), and Khlong Khoi (Moo 1-12). There are 7,099 affected households across the seven tambons.

The declaration encompasses four municipalities and two tambons in the district of Muang. Muang (15 communities), Sai Ma (6 communities), Bang Krang (19 communities), and Bang Sri Muang are the municipalities (16 communities). Tambon Bang Pha contains four affected villages, while Tambon Bang Rak Noi contains five. Not provided is the number of affected households.

Six tambons and 65 villages in the district of Bang Yai are designated as disaster areas. They are Mae Nang (Moo 1-18), Bang Muang (Moo 1-15), Ban Mai (Moo 1-11), Bang Len (Moo 1-11), Bang Yai (Moo 1-6) and Sao Hin Thong (Moo 1-6). The flooding has affected more than 4,000 households.