Storms Ravage Many Areas In Lop Buri And Thailand's Northeast

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FLOODING

Storms ravage many areas in Lop Buri and the Northeast

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Section of Ratchasima-Chok Chai Rd bulldozed to release water

Several central and northeastern provinces were hit badly by heavy rain and inundation, damaging farmland and residences.

In Lop Buri, its Tha Luang district was under water as the Pasak River rose by about 15cm an hour yesterday and left riverside farmland and homes under 50-70cm of water.

In Muang district, heavy downpours worsened the flooding, which by yesterday extended to the economic and trade areas along Phaholyothin Road, prompting shops to close.

The provincial governor got 300 soldiers to urgently help affected residents move their belongings to safer ground and pile sandbags as flood barriers.

In Ubon Ratchathani, residents in Ketkaew community in Warin Chamrap district yesterday were evacuated to tents set up on safer ground near the district land office. The Mul River remained stable at one metre below its banks, but acting provincial governor Wichit Chatpatsit said all agencies were prepared for possible flood problems. District officials were not allowed to take leave during this period. The province along with Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, and Si Sa Ket, was bracing for a worse situation as rainfall is forecast for the next five days.

In Nakhon Ratchasima's Muang district, 2,000 residents in about 400 homes in tambon Nongbua Sala continued to endure floods for a third day.

Some residents in Jamjuree and Nong Talumpuk villages were reportedly so fed up that they announced they wanted to sell their homes. They opened a centre for donations of food and drinking water in front of Jamjuree village, while officials at Tambon Nongbua Sala were considering asking for Bt35 million in funds to build a "monkey-cheek reservoir" as a long-term solution.

As heavy rainfall continued, local authorities' installed water pumps to drain water but conditions in some areas were tough - under 70cm-1.2 metres of water. A one-kilometre section of the Ratchasima-Chok Chai Road was impassable, which prompted highway authorities to use heavy machines to demolish a road island to drain floodwater into nearby farmland.

In Khon Kaen, the Ubonrat Dam was holding 1,539 million cubic metres of water out of its 2,400 million cubic metre capacity. Officials announced a plan yesterday to release 17 million cubic metres a day - up from 12 million cubic metres, but reassured that people should not be affected as the Lam Nam Pong waterway could take about 35 million cubic metres of water per day.

In Pathum Thani's Lam Lukka district, residents in Rinthong Housing Estate yesterday lamented that besides the structural issue of house and road subsidence in January, they suffered from floods with some parts under 60-80cm of water. They said PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtoey had visited earlier this year and said he would help contact related agencies to repair the collapsed road, but nothing had been done yet.

In Lampang's Thoen district, days of heavy rain caused a flood from Mae Mok Forest to damage a section of Thoen-Thung Saliam Road at the 8-9km marker. A temporary bridge was set up for vehicles under 10 tonnes to use and motorists were advised to use other routes.

In Pathum Thani's Khlong Luang district, a rainstorm on Friday night damaged the roof and ceiling in 13 homes in Preuksa 9 Housing Estate, 28 homes in Preuksa 11 Estate, 19 homes in Preuksa 12 Estate and five in the nearby Thai Somboon village.

-- The Nation 2010-09-05

[sirchai]

Is there anybody in Sisaket? I'd appreciate if somebody has got some information. Thanks in advance.

[Robby nz]

The C P river is up to 9 m in Sing buri today the highest it has been so far and I have just been told it is piddeling down in Ayutthaya.

So it could be some serious flooding there soon and right down to BKK.

A lot of water still to come down the river from farther north so would expect it to go higher.