POST REPORTERS
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| Oarsmen race to salvage their boats in driving rain yesterday which bought a sudden end to the international boat race at the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Centre in Ayutthaya. |
Heavy downpours continued to batter the northern and northeastern regions yesterday, triggering more flash floods and inundating many districts and swamping more farmland.
Hardest-hit yesterday was Lop Buri where strong torrents from mountain run-offs put roads and more than 30 villages under water.
In neighbouring Ayutthaya, the rising water level in the Chao Phraya river forced the provincial governor to ring the alarm bells and declare all 16 districts disaster zones.
In Lop Buri, the most severely hit villages were in Khok Samrong district where run-off from the Jorake and Ta Pao mountain ranges swamped the areas. The flooding also cut off access to many roads in Ban Mi district. Residents were badly in need of help and relief supplies.
Run-off from the Phra Ngam, Khao Sam Yot and Wong Phrachan mountain ranges has also inundated more than a 10km section of the Phahon Yothin road in Lop Buri. The water level on the flooded road was so high that small vehicles were advised to switch to other routes. Phahon Yothin is a main road heading to the North.
To reduce the flooding in Lop Buri, irrigation officials have stopped releasing water from the Pasak Jolasid dam to the province and also closed the Manorom floodgate to block water from the Chao Phraya river from flowing into it through the Chai Nat-Pasak canal.
The Chao Phraya, which is largely fed by five rivers serving as its tributaries in northern Thailand, is causing serious concern in many provinces through which it runs. Among them is Ayutthaya, whose riverside districts are inundated every year.
"We're going to declare all districts in Ayutthaya disaster zones so that each of them can use emergency funds to immediately render help to the affected villagers," said Ayutthaya governor Preecha Kamolbutr.
Villagers living along the banks of the Chao Phraya are unlikely to be spared heavy flooding. The river's water level has risen rapidly since Friday night, forcing officials to release more water from the Chao Phraya dam in Chai Nat. This has caused alarm among villagers who say they were not told in advance.
In Saraburi, irrigation officials expected water levels on the flooded Friendship Highway, the main route to the Northeast, would recede in one or two days if there is no more heavy rainfall.
Traffic on a section of the highway in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district has opened again after a roadside canal was dredged.
The flooding has left widespread damage in Pak Chong, where run-off from Khao Yai national park has been blamed for the disaster. Rescue officials are still searching for a missing man, identified as Winai Misook.
Run-off from the Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks flooded two villages in nearby Prachin Buri's Na Di district.
The water level rose to 1.50 metres on Friday night and villagers can't do without using ropes to negotiate the strong currents.
The Meteorology Department has forecast more heavy rain in the North and Northeast due mainly to the low pressure trough and the southwestern monsoon. The department expects heavy rain in 23 provinces such as Phitsanulok, Phichit and Phetchabun today and tomorrow.
In Phetchabun, Muang district and the Lom Sak municipality have been flooded while villagers living in risky areas of Phitsanulok's Noen Maprang district have been told to evacuate to safer places.
In Phichit, villagers in Thap Khlo district are racing against time to drain water from paddy fields flooded by run-off from the Phetchabun mountain range.
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