Flood damages hit Bt14 billion since July with Khon Kaen residents blaming authorities

By THE NATION

 

 

BY THE middle of the year, floods had already caused estimated damages of Bt14 billion, the head of the Agricultural Economic Operation Centre said yesterday.

 

Bhumisak Rasri said the damages would dent the country’s gross domestic product by about 0.04 per cent, or Bt3.64 billion. 

The figures are estimated based on assessments of flooding since July 5. 

 

“There were about Bt3.59 billion in crop damages, Bt53.47 million for fisheries and Bt1.38 million for livestock,” Bhumisak said. He did not specify what other sectors had been affected.

 

 

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD), meanwhile, said flooding had hit 23 provinces between October 10 and yesterday, affecting 327,420 people. The inundation also caused 18 deaths during the period. 

 

At present, floods continue to afflict the provinces of Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Angthong, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Suphan Buri, Nong Bua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, Roi Et and Prachuap Khiri Khan. 

 

 

Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said Bang Saphan Hospital in Prachuap Khiri Khan was continuing to provide services to patients, although it earlier had to transfer critically ill inpatients to two other hospitals. 

“Now Bang Saphan Hospital is treating outpatients and providing child-delivery services as usual,” he said. 

 

As floodwaters around the hospital started to subside, the facility prepared its operating theatre to provide emergency care, he said. 

 

Opas added that the hospital had dispatched a mobile medical unit to two flood-affected villages, which were home to more than 100 families, to deliver healthcare services. 

 

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has warned people in the South to beware of flash floods over the next six days. 

Vigilant residents

 

Local people in a riverside community in Khon Kaen province, which were hit by serious floods last month, are planning to file a petition with the Administrative Court as they believe the Khon Kaen water management committee should be held responsible for flood damages in their hometown. 

 

“We followed the water situation since the beginning of the rainy season via various channels. From the information we have studied, we have come to the conclusion that the committee made mistakes,” said Supranee Panikom, a resident in Tambon Sila’s Beung E Tao, Muang district. 

 

She said residents had started searching for water-related information after suffering serious flood damage during the 2011 crisis. 

 

“We have used smart phones, LINE and Facebook in exchanging information and monitoring the situation,” she said. 

 

Supranee said this April residents checked water levels at Ubolrat Dam, which were already high with a relatively little amount of water discharged from the dam. “Since then, we have followed the situation closely as we were worried that floods would hit,” she said. 

 

Close monitoring of the water situation allowed many residents to move their belongings to higher ground in time as they were sure that their areas would be swamped by floodwaters. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30331259

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-10

I live in Khon Kaen and over the last few years they have been digging up all over the place and relaying larger drains. But to no effect.it would be hard to sort the rice fields out ect.

Don't expect much financial assistance. Treasury is near empty, revenue collection is down, defence needs a bigger budget for hardware and salaries for generals and ex-generals. 

7 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Don't expect much financial assistance. Treasury is near empty, revenue collection is down, defence needs a bigger budget for hardware and salaries for generals and ex-generals. 

Maybe they can get paid out of the money that is being recovered from the fake G2G deals YL did not cancel. They are now seizing assets to get that money. 30 billion or so, but it might be used to pay off the massive debt the rice program left the country with.

 

I hope they get at least as much financial assistance as we did in 2011. We got 20.000 only a fraction of the damage of course and my ex had to stand in line for days. But still some money was paid out. I believe the situation is similar at least near that place where the dams were handled wrongly. 

 

They should at least hold greater safety margins for the dams, only the farmers won't like that as it means more chance for drought but less for flooding. Here thankfully we were not hit like in 2011, but now unlike 2011 (at this time) there are still U turns under water(minor annoyance) , so they are still draining the water. 

 

I hope they get it all drained for the sake of the people living in those area's

11 minutes ago, robblok said:

Maybe they can get paid out of the money that is being recovered from the fake G2G deals YL did not cancel. They are now seizing assets to get that money. 30 billion or so, but it might be used to pay off the massive debt the rice program left the country with.

Don't you worry Rob. They are seizing every assets they possibly can. They even thinking of transferring idle accounts to treasury. Desperate time calls for desperate action. Coffers near empty and lots to pay and steal and the Kingsgate's compensation due to Prayut's folly will not be small beans. 

Yes, and next year they will complain that they don't have enough water if there is a drought... It is nature and not the government that produces rain and there is no way to predict the weather (more than a few hours...) and there by know if the water in the dam will be to-little, perfect or to-much!