CityNews – Parts of Northern Thailand continue to be affected by severe floods following heavy rain at the weekend.
Residents battle floods in Chiang Rai’s Paha village. Photo: Natthawat Arm.
The water in the Yom river, which flows through Phrae province, has started overflowing, according to the Hydrology and Water Management Center for the Upper Northern Region.
The Ping, Wang, Nan and Lao Rivers are said to be stable but there are concerns about flooding if the rain continues.
In Chiang Mai, residents living near the banks of the Ping in Mae Tang district’s Ban Dongpalan began moving valuable items from their homes on Saturday, saying they were afraid of landslides following a flash flood. Earth dykes had been erected to prevent flooding, but they collapsed two days ago.
The heavy rains also caused flood damage in many areas of Chiang Rai province. A stretch of the Phaholyothin Road near Chiang Rai Rajabhat University was flooded yesterday and open in only one direction, causing a kilometer-long traffic jam. The road was back to normal today.
In Paha village, residents used sandbags to prevent water flowing into their houses, and some set up pumps to drain the water. Ban Du subdistrict municipality provided sandbags to help the residents.
In Phichit province, floods inundated more than 2,000 rai of rice fields in Sam Ngam district, reports said.