Four Southern Thai Provinces Still Flooded As Waters Subside In Six

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Four southern provinces still flooded as waters subside in six

By The Nation

Floodwaters remain at critical levels in four provinces in the South, though the situation is easing in six other provinces, though the prime minister estimates the overall damage will possibly be worth Bt10 billion.

The death toll so far has reached 61, while 72 people have strong suicide tendencies and are under close watch, according to an update released by the Public Health Ministry yesterday.

As per the official update, 3,863 villagers in 63 districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani and Trang are stranded in flooded areas. However, the situation has eased in Phang Nga, Satun, Chumphon, Songkhla and Krabi, where authorities are either assessing the damage or starting restoration work.

More than a million rai of farmland has been damaged and over 5.7 million heads of cattle affected. So far, 376 homes have been destroyed and 3,686 damaged. In addition, 4,684 roads, 75 reservoirs, 471 bridges, 688 schools and 156 government offices have been damaged.

In Surat Thani, up to 10 homes along the Tapi River in Phunpin district subsided, injuring two people. The rest of the residents were later evacuated.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, which was hardest hit, counselling is being provided to residents who are under stress or depressed, while 72 people considered to be seriously suicidal are being given psychiatric treatment.

In a comment on the estimated Bt4 billion that is needed to repair private and state property, over and above the Bt6 billion that has been set aside, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said: "The total may not reach Bt10 billion, but it may get close to that."

Meanwhile, relevant government agencies are instructed to submit damage assessments when the Cabinet meets on Tuesday, he said.

Trains will start running as soon as the tracks are repaired, Somsak Thongthaworn, chief of the state railway operations in the South, said, adding that rail tracks and bridges had sustained Bt5.4 billion worth of damages, including Bt48 million in refunded tickets and urgent repair work done to cargo cars.

Their Majesties the King and Queen have graciously granted help two badly affected families in Satun. One of the families has a very ill father, while the other has to provide constant care to a child affected by a brain tumour.

-- The Nation 2011-04-09