People in seven Central provinces below the Chao Phraya Dam should prepare for flooding as run-off from the northern provinces is surging down the river, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chatchai Promlert warned on Monday. The seven provinces are Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Lop Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Suphan Buri.
Mr Chatchai said the level of the Chao Phraya River was expected to rise sharply this week from Sapphaya district of Chai Nat down to Bang Ban and Sena districts of Ayutthaya Disaster prevention and mitigation offices and local administrations in the seven provinces had been told to issue warnings to residents in the Chao Phraya River basin, to farmers, operators of commuter and tourist boats, and contractors working near the river's banks, advising them to closely follow official announcements on the situation, and to be prepared. Disaster relief equipment and machinery, civil defence volunteers and rescuers were being put on standby around the clock. Floodwalls shouold also be built with sandbags to protect economic zones. In the Upper North, heavy rain had caused flash floods and landslides in 15 districts of five provinces, Mr Chatchai said. In Sukhothai, the rain-swollen Yom River broke its banks and inundated Muang district, affecting 500 households and 49,203 rai of farmland. In Chiang Mai, flash floods hit Mae On, Chiang Dao, Mae Taeng, Wiang Haeng and San Kamphaeng districts, damaging large numbers of homes. In Mae Hong Son, Muang, Pang Ma Pha and Pai districts were hit with flash floods. Three districts of Phrae - Long, Rong Kwang and Denchai - were similarly hit. Muang, Dok Kham Tai and Phu Kam Yao districts of Phayao province were also flooded. The water had largely receded in the five provinces, except for some low-lying areas in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district and in Phayao province. The accumulated run-off is heading south, through the river system.