Floods Hit North, Central, and Southern Provinces

[Jai Dee]

Floods hit North, central provinces

Floods are hitting many lower North and Central provinces folฌlowing several days of heavy rains in the areas.

In Uttaradit, many Chiang Maibound trains from Bangkok have been suspended after sections of the railways were inundated. Commuters were forced to use buses after the trains stopped runฌning due to the flooding.

A warning about possible landฌslides has been issued in Uttaradit, where many people were killed in separate incidents two years ago. A total of 189 villages in Lablae, Muang and Tha Pla districts are still at risk of landslides or mudslides.

In neighbouring Phrae, both passenger and cargo trains heading to Bangkok have been stuck for days, but they were expected to be back in service yesterday evening after the railway lines were repaired, said senior State Railways of Thailand official Charn Tansiri.

In Kamphaengphet, thousands of rai of farmland are under floodฌwater and more than 40 families are stranded. Monks are starving and receiving food from villages after they stopped taking morning alms due to flooding.

In Tak's Mae Sot district, more than 500 families have been strandฌed by floods, and many schools have been damaged.

In Chaiyaphum in the Northeast, thousands of rai of farmland are either under water or damaged. People living by the Chi River have been warned to watch out for flash floods.

In Chaiyanat, eight villages located downstream to the Chao Phya Dam are flooded after water was released to avoid excessive capacity. The flooding also hit two districts in neighbouring Ang Thong, inundating 230 households there.

In the central province of Ayutthaya, where high floodwater is a regular occurrence every wet seaฌson, preventive measures are being carried out and embankments being built, although the water level is not yet high.

Source: The Nation - 03 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

Floods disrupt North-bound trains at Den Chai district

Portions of Thailand's railways in the northern province of Phrae's Den Chai district were damaged and flooded on Sunday, with eight north-bound trains suspended, a senior State Railways of Thailand (SRT) said.

However, SRT northern officer director Charn Tansiri said that the national railway offered 20 coaches to transport rail passengers from Uttaradit to Phrae, where the rail tracks are being fixed, so there are no passengers left stranded.

Continuous rain triggered flash flooding in mountainous Den Chai district and some areas are under metre-deep flood. Phrae governor Pongsak Plaivej and Somrit Wichaita, head of the local disaster prevention and mitigation office, visited flood-hit areas and issued a flood warning for local residents living along the river.

In Tak, 500 households were affected by flash flooding, hitting several villages in Mae Sot district.

Teaching materials and books in Ban Palad School were swept away, but the floods receded on Sunday. Villagers in flood-hit areas called for the authorities to speed up reservoir construction project to solve repeated flood problem after the project was suspended due to opposition from some groups of villagers.

Sarawut Harnchaimuang, mayor of Mae Ku municipality said that the authorities planned budget to dredge creeks and will push for reservoir construction after making presenting project details to local residents.

In Kamphaeng Phet, about 40 homes and up to 400 acres of crops in the provincial seat were hit by flash flood.

Heavy rain in Uttaradit triggered forest run-off causing a canal to overflow some 20 houses in Lablae district. A local disaster prevention and mitigation office to issue a warning for possible flash flood and landslide.

The province was hard hit by flash flooding and landslides in 2006. Three districts –Tha Pla, Lablae, and Uttaradit's provincial seat are disaster prone areas.

Source: TNA - 03 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

Pasak Dam at full capacity

Lop Buri - Irrigation officials are releasing water from the Pasak Chonlasit Dam after it has received water at its full capacity.

Ukritthavorn Kraikul, chief of the Pasak Irrigation project, said several days of rainfalls in the Pasak basin caused a lot of water to flow into the dam's reservoir, and filling its full capacity of 960 million cubic metres.

He said officials were releasing water from the dam at the rate of 50 million cubic metres per day.

Source: The Nation - 03 November 2008

[Kan Win]

Photos of Pasak Chonlasit Dam

It is a low lying reservoir unlike a few that are in Thailand.

Photos takes many years ago.

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[Jai Dee]

Several provinces flooded, Nakhon Sawan worst hit

Floods hit several areas of the country yesterday affecting thousands of people, especially the residents of Nakhon Sawan province.

Latest surveys showed that a total of 3,413 families in Nakhon Sawan were flooded in and some 45 roads and three dykes were damaged.

"We have declared Banphot Phisai district a disaster area," district chief Satawat Saenmuk said.

According to reports, the people were caught off guard by runoffs from the forests. Without enough time to move their belongings to higher ground, shop owners in Banphot Phisai's Somsiaw fresh market ended up having to watch their products being swept away.

Now, sandbags have been put up to protect the Banphot Phisai District Office and shop houses in the area.

In Angthong, floods have affected more than 300 residents, with waters more than one metre high in some areas.

Meanwhile, some 50 million cubic metres of water will be released from Lop Buri's Pasak Jolasid Dam every day, which means the Pasak River may overflow in some provinces like Saraburi, Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani.

"People along the river should start moving their belongings to higher ground," advised Ukrit Thavornkraikul, who is in charge of the dam's waterflow management. "The water has to be released because the dam has already reached its capacity."

Meanwhile, a threeyearold boy remains in coma after he slipped and fell on a flooded road in Prachin Buri on Sunday night.

"He was heading for his dad's car with his three siblings. Nobody saw him fall down," Pachok's mother Panadda Muangkhiaw said.

She said her husband found the boy under water after he noticed his sandals floating around. Pachok is being treated at the Abhaibhubejhr Hospital.

In Chiang Mai, floods also ravaged some parts of San Pa Tong district early yesterday and damaged more than 20 rai of rice fields. However, the waters had subsided as of press time.

"The situation has returned to normal," San Pa Thong senior city clerk Pattaraporn Laijud said.

Source: The Nation - 04 November 2008

[Los78]

It looks like a final downpour will arrive in the next few days. Good luck to them coping with all the extra water that will hit the North and Northeast.

[CL0R0X]

never mind the flood, the government have more important thing to do.

[Jai Dee]

Chaiyaphum hit by flood third time this week

The water in the Chi River has sustained at a high level and overflowed into surrounding residential areas and farms with no signs of reducing. The flood waters have hit Ban Khwao (บ้านเขว้า) district for the third time in a week.

Several Tambon in Ban Khwao district of Chaiyaphum province have been inundated by the Chi River which has overflown for the third time in a week. Schools in the district have temporarily closed and residents have evacuated livestock and pets. Several major roads have been cut off. This third flood is the most major in the province this year and has caused damage to 30,000 rai of rice fields which are about to be harvested.

Flood water is expected to remain in the district for at least one more week and will flow into Khon Sawan (คอนสวรรค์) district before making way to Khon Kaen province.

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand - 10 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

Ten royally sponsored medical teams dispatched to flood-hit areas everyday

Public Health Minister Pol.Capt.Chalerm Yoobamrung reports that more than ten medical mobile units sponsored by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn are dispatched to aid the flood-affected people in the Central region every day.

The medical mobile units are consisted of physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, and disease control personnel. They have provided treatments to people affected by the flooding in the central provinces of Ang Thong and Ayutthaya.

There have been more than 2,400 people made ill by flood-related diseases during the last six days. Most of them have Athlete's foot followed by symptoms of tension such as headache and sleeplessness. 18 of them have pink eye due to the use of unclean water. Public health officials have already imposed measures to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Ministry of Public Health has so far distributed 10,000 first-aid kits to the flood-hit villagers in the provinces of Sing Buri, Ang Thong, and Nonthaburi. Another 3,000 first-aid kits will be sent to Mae Hong Son tomorrow.

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand - 10 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

Meteorological Department concerned over increasing rainfall in the South

The Director of the Southern Region Meteorological Department has indicated that this year’s average rainfall in the region is almost critical and warns citizens to keep abreast of weather forecasts.

Director of the Southern Region Meteorological Department Wanchai Sak-udomchai (วันชัย ศักดิ์อุดมไชย) stated that the annual rainfall in the South has reached a worrying level due to global warming which has caused more rain in usually non-rainy regions.

The department has also projected increased tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean during this period. The cyclones are expected to cause great damage to the South if they pass the region, prompting the department to closely monitor the situation and prepare measures to promptly assist people.

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand - 10 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

More rain expected in Nakhon Si Thammarat

The Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat province has instructed all relevant agencies to inspect damages from recent heavy rain following the third warning by the province's Meteorological Department. Rainfall was measured at 152 millimeters last night.

Official of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Phensi Kaewkhumphai (เพ็ญศรี แก้วคุ้มภัย) stated that after two days of heavy rain, the province's governor Phanu Uthairat (ภาณุ อุทัยรัตน์) has ordered officials in 23 districts to assess damages and expedite aid for residents. No requests for assistance have yet been made to the provincial flood prevention and mitigation task force.

Mr. Phanu has called on citizens to keep abreast of the Meteorological Department’s weather forcasts for the coming 1-2 days as more rain is expected.

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand - 10 November 2008

[animatic]

Raining like mad here on Samui.

Edited November 10, 2008 by animatic