PUBLISHED : 1 Dec 2024 at 12:33
Hat Yai, the economic hub in Thailand’s South, is slowly getting back to normal, while flooding elsewhere in the southern provinces remains serious after the region was inundated by downpours that triggered deluges.
Municipality workers have started to remove flood debris and repair roads in the city to clear the surfaces for traffic after flooding from rain and overflowing canals paralysed the main city in Songkhla province.
Residents came out on Sunday to clean their communities after the flooding forced them to move valuable items to safe places elsewhere or to higher floors.
A house owner at Ladda Estate in Hat Yai district on Sunday said her washing machine and refrigerator were damaged beyond repair because she lived alone and was unable to move the heavy appliances to dry areas.
“We are thankful to the late King Rama IX. He had advised Ror 1 Canal to be built to solve persistent flooding in Hat Yai city,” she said. “Without the canal, floods would have been much more severe.”
Ror 1 Canal is the local name for what is officially called Bhuminartdhamri Canal, a royal project by the late King Bhumibol. It was erected to absorb excessive water from U-tapao, the main canal passing through Hat Yai, and divert it to Songkhla Lake.
“The overall situation of floods in the Hat Yai municipality has improved,” the municipality said on Sunday.
Hat Yai is the economic centre of the southern region and the main destination for tourists from Malaysia.
Elsewhere, floods continued in most areas in the region with some sections of main roads still submerged and even impassible, including sections of Road 42 and Road 43 impassible for small vehicles. Motorists are advised to check for updated information from the provinces and Highways Department for safety reasons.
The death toll from the worst floods in decades in the southern region rose from nine to 12, with more than 640,000 households affected, the latest data released by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department on Sunday showed. Five people were drowned in Songkhla, three in Pattani, two in Narathiwat and one each in Phatthalung and Yala.
The Meteorological Office responsible for the eastern part of the southern region on Sunday warned of heavy rains, strong winds and stormy seas in Songkhla and Narathiwat, while torrential rains are expected in Phatthalung and Yala.