More storms spark fresh flood alerts
The Department of Mineral Resources has issued mudslide warnings for communities in 11 provinces living in or near mountainous areas.
Uttaradit, Nan, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, as well as Kanchanaburi, Trat, Chumphon, Ranong and Phangnga are vulnerable, the department said yesterday.
Heavy rains in mountainous provinces during the past week and further bad weather to come has raised the risk level, it said.
Upper parts of Thailand have been hit by heavy downpours since last week as a result of tropical storm Son-Tinh, that moved in across the country from the South China Sea.
Despite the storm having weakened, the authorities were warning people to be ready for more floods from approaching storms.
Chayaphol Thitisak, director-general of Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) ordered additional 17 provinces in northern, northeastern region, middle and southern regions to take floodprevention measures in the latter part of the week.
“A tropical depression gathering strength in the Gulf of Tonkin will lead to serious flooding, severe run-off and mudslides,” he said.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon in the Andaman Sea is still causing problems with unusually high waves of up to 3 metres in some coastal areas that pose a risk to some vessels, Mr Chayaphol said.
In northeastern Sakon Nakhon province, the authorities were working round the clock to drain off water from Nong Han, a natural reservoir, to avoid severe floods like those seen in July last year. The floods forced the closure of the provincial airport for several days.
In Nong Khai province, water in the Mekong River rose by 1.69 metres in 24 hours due to heavy rain and run-off in Laos.
The RID expects the water level today to rise another 30cm as excess water from Chiang Khan district flows downstream.
Local authorities along the river warned local fishermen and boat owners to exercise extreme caution or avoid using the swollen waterway entirely as the current would be fast and the water rough this week.