Phetchaburi River overflows, hits town
PHETCHABURI: The Phetchaburi River has burst its banks, overflowing into the municipal area, wreaking havoc in the province’s commercial centre and flooding the major highway linking the province to the South.
People were wading thigh deep through floodwater in Muang district yesterday after heavy downpours brought by tropical storm Kirogi.
Schools and government offices in the district were inundated. The overflow spilled onto Phetkasem Road, causing a traffic jam with a tailback stretching about 4km on Bangkok-bound lanes between Ban Lat and Muang districts, with floodwater up to 60cm deep in some areas of the municipality.
The province advised people to evacuate to higher ground as water continued to overflow from the river, which passes through the city centre.
Phetchaburi governor Chatporn Ratdusadee said emergency workers were battling to drain the water. The authorities said the flood crisis will subside in three days.
Twenty-six water pumps were installed in flood-affected zones while 40 boats were sent to help flood-affected victims, she said.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported severe flooding in Ban Laem, Cha-am and Tha Yang districts of the province.
Earlier, communities along the Phetchaburi River were told to brace for major floods after a dam started to release large amounts of water.
The water discharge is part of a plan to divert flooding before it hits Muang municipality, where schools and hospitals are located.
Since Monday, the province and nearby areas have been hit by heavy rain that has seen a substantial amount of water flow into Phetchaburi dam.
The dam yesterday released 350 cubic metres per second of water into the river, according the Phetchaburi Water Transmission and Maintenance Project. This was considered to be a large amount.
Also, the storm has also brought downpours to southern provinces since Wednesday night, with gusty winds in Narathiwat toppling many trees in Muang district.
As of yesterday, wide areas of Phatthalung were ravaged by flash floods triggered by runoff from the Ban That mountain range, resulting in flooding in three districts: Kong Ra, Tamot and Sri Nakharin.
In Kong Ra district, around 60 households were submerged while several community roads were flooded.
The Meteorological Department warned of more rain and possible flash floods in 11 southern provinces until Tuesday.