Songkhla battered by heavy rain

DOWNPOUR TO CONTINUE TILL WEDNESDAY

>> Torrential downpours triggered flash floods in Songkhla’s Muang district late on Friday night as authorities warned the new round of heavy rains would lash the South from yesterday to Wednesday.

In Songkhla municipality, persistent heavy rains caused several main roads to be flooded, including Kanjanawanich Road, making it difficult for the passage of small vehicles.

Floodwater also reached the ground floor of the parking lot of a Tesco Lotus store in Khaoroopchang municipality, damaging scores of vehicles.

Almost 100 houses in the municipality were ravaged by floods, prompting officials to deploy water pumps to drain the floodwater into Songkhla Lake.

Prasong Borirak, mayor of Khaoroopchang municipality, said the flood was caused by a huge volume of mountain runoff as well as structures which impede water flow.

He said plans must be drawn up to tackle the problem in the future as the floods cause substantial damage to the area.

However, Wasan Chaithaweewong, acting chief of the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Songkhla, said flooding in Muang district began receding yesterday morning.

Five districts of Songkhla have been affected by the floods, namely Khuan Niang, Krasae Sin, Singha Nakhon, Sathing Phra and Ranot, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) says. The deluge has killed eight people and affected 8,880 households in the province.

DDPM director-general Chatchai Promlert said heavy rains were forecast in the South between yesterday and Wednesday.

“Based on the Thai Meteorological Department’s weather forecast, strong high pressure from China will cover the Northeast. The northeastern monsoon over the Gulf and the South will intensify and this could trigger more rains,” said Mr Chatchai.

The DDPM has coordinated with local authorities in seven southern provinces — Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat — to prepare for possible flash floods, forest runoff and landslides, Mr Chatchai said.

Officials were told to prepare machinery and other equipment to help rescue people in need.

People who need help can contact emergency hotline 1784 around the clock, he said.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, runoff from Khao Luang flooded several roads in Muang district with water levels reaching 10-20cm, though the level of the floodwater was not as critical as in previous rounds of flooding.

Royal Irrigation Department and navy officers along with the locals worked together to accelerate water flow into the sea as several districts of the province are still experiencing floods.

According to officials, the floodwater is likely to recede by the end of this month.

In Trang, two days of torrential rains and forest runoff swamped three tambons of Ratsada and Huai Yot districts.

Trang authorities have issued flood warnings in seven districts along the Bantat mountain range.