PUBLISHED: 27 Sep 2024 at 04: 00
More heavy rain is expected to fall across lower Thailand in the next few weeks, according to the Office of National Water Resources yesterday, prompting the government to accelerate its efforts to dump excess fluids from flood-hit areas in the North and Northeast.
A new wind system is currently forming over the Philippines, according to ONWR lieutenant secretary-general Paiton Kengkarnchang.
He predicted that the storm will cause more rain to fall to the lower North, top Central Plains, the Northeast, and East around Monday and Tuesday of next week, despite the fact that it is unlikely to pass over Thailand.
The ONWR assistant commander urged all organizations tasked with managing the country’s disaster position to move quickly to drain the excess water from affected areas through different channels that would eventually lead to the Gulf of Thailand, in response, the ONWR deputy chief said.
According to the Meteorological Department’s estimates yesterday, a west monsoon is even now blowing across the Andaman Sea, bringing heavy rain to the North, Bangkok and its surrounding counties, the East, and the South.
The increased snowfall does raise the risk of flashfloods in low-lying areas, particularly valleys, said the office.
In Chiang Mai, while floods have receded in some places, officials expect the condition will simply return to normal in about a month, said Atthawit Nakwatchara, chairman of Chiang Mai’s 1st Royal Irrigation Office.
When the Ping River overflowed on Wednesday, wreaking havoc across Chiang Mai’s capital, inundating large areas of the Muang city, including the famed Night Bazaar.
In the Mae Ai area, residents living in Moo 6 and Moo 9 experienced clean flash floods yesterday night. Some residents were unprepared for the floods because the water had just begun to fade.
As rainwater from Chiang Mai started rushing through the country’s waters on Wednesday evening, flooding some pieces of Ban Thi and Muang towns, the situation in neighboring Lamphun was more severe monday.
However in Lampang, a dam in Ban Nong in Mae Tha city instantly gave way at 11am yesterday, flooding some areas inland, as well as parts of neighbouring Ko Kha district.
In Nakhon Phanom, six regions reported floods yesterday, affecting over 17, 300 citizens across 224 villages.
Local authorities believe the province’s flood situation has reached its worst point, given how far the Mekong River’s water level has now slowed.
Today, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra may visit Chiang Rai to assess the effort to recover from floods. She may spend the night in Mae Sai area, the hardest-hit place, and then go on to Chiang Mai, according to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.