More than 570,000 families affected by floods

Flooding persisted in nine provinces on Wednesday, mostly in the Northeast, with more than 570,000 families affected by the floods that have ravaged much of the country over the last month.

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Flood misery persists in 9 provinces, mostly in Isan

Yongyut Phupuangphet, Dusit Singkhiri and Online Reporters

Flooding persisted in nine provinces on Wednesday, mostly in the Northeast, with more than 570,000 families affected by the floods that have ravaged much of the country over the last month.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chatchai Promlert said the heavy downpours had triggered flash floods in 44 provinces between July 5  and Aug  8. A total of 578,814 households in 12,949 villages were affected and 29 people had died as a consequence of flooding.

A total of 4,129 houses, 2,055 roads, 14,097 fish ponds, and over 3 million rai of agricultural land were damaged.

Vehicles take relief items to flood victims in Kalasin. (Photo by Yongyut Phupuangphet)

He said the flood situation had eased in 35 provinces. The other nine affected provinces, eight in the Northeast and one on the Central Plain, remained flooded, said Mr Chatchai.

The 9 provinces are Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Nakhon Phanom, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani and Nong Khai in the Northeast, and central Ayutthaya province

Irrigation officials on Wednesday installed 22 water jet propulsion drives across the Moon River at a bridge  in Ubon Ratchathani to speed up the rate of discharge into the Mekong River, as a large volume of runoff from other flooded areas was expected to flow into the province through the Moon River in the next day or two.

Irrigation officials install 22 water jet propulsion units across the Moon River in Ubon Ratchathani to accelerate the rate of discharge before the arrival of flood runoff in 1-2 days.

Kalasin governor Suwit Khamdee on Wednesday warned residents and officials of five districts to be on full alert for another round of flooding as the Lampao Dam would increase its rate of discharge to 30 million cubic metres of water a day, up from 25 million cu/m a day.

Lampao Dam in Kalasin province. (Photo by Yongyut Phupuangphet)

This school in Kalasin is still inundated. (Photo by Yongyut Phupuangphet)

Dam officials had earlier sought permission from a provincial panel to increase the discharge rate from 25 million cu/m to 35 million cu/m a day. The provincial panel decided to approve 30 million cu/m a day for Thursday and Friday. It would then re-evaluate the situation.

The dam on Wednesday held 1,742 million cu/m of water, or 88% of its holding capacity, the governor said.

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