Heavy rain raises flash flood risk

Several days of continuous rain have forced several provinces to deal with the threat of flash floods and landslides as water levels continue to rise.

On Saturday, patients and medical equipment at Kwai River Christian Hospital in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district were evacuated to higher ground, after a canal that runs right behind the hospital breached its banks following 10 consecutive days of rain.

A source said the canal breached its banks on Saturday morning, and water levels have continued to rise as runoff from the nearby mountains continues to feed the canal.

The Surasi military task force, which is based in the province, has sent in a team of soldiers to the hospital to assist with the evacuation of patients and hospital equipment to higher ground, said the source.

Pranot Bussakornruangrat, the hospital’s manager, said that following last year’s flood, the hospital has put in place an emergency plan to deal with such incidents, and electrical equipment was moved to higher ground before the canal breached its banks on Saturday.

“A number of patients have also been evacuated to the new building, which is unaffected by the flood,” he said, before adding the hospital is monitoring the situation around the clock.

Meanwhile, in Prachuap Khiri Khan, the company contracted to upgrade Morasuap Reservoir in Bang Saphan district are speeding up their effort to drain water from the reservoir to prevent further damage to the structure after three leaks were detected.

Loetyot Yaemphrai, the chief of Bang Saphan district office, said the higher rate of water discharge from the reservoir will not affect communities downstream.

“The 37.9-million-baht project to improve the reservoir, which began in 2016, has yet to be completed,” he said.

Mr Loetyot said the first crack was detected in October 2016, which prompted the contractor to drain the reservoir to repair it.

“The contractor has repeatedly sought to extend the deadline over the past three years, but leaks keep reappearing in the same location,” he said.

Up north in Mae Hong Son, a bridge that connects Ban Mae Sam Laep in Sop Moei district to the rest of the province was severely damaged by run-off following several days of continuous rain, making it unsafe for cars to cross, said the provincial disaster mitigation office.

“A temporary bridge is being built to ensure the safety of road users,” said Ruangrit Pholdee, head of the office.

Extreme weather conditions have also resulted in the temporary closure of several national parks for safety reasons — including the popular Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai and Than Bokkhorani National Park in Krabi.

Swimming at the popular Khao Lak beach in Phangnga’s Takua Pa district was temporarily prohibited for the sake of safety yesterday as high waves were reported in the area.