SAMUI -- Flood waters have receded on the main road around Koh Samui and it is passable for all vehicles.
Seventeen spots along Highway 4169 (Thaweerat Pakdee Road) became inundated on Saturday, with water levels ranging from 50cm up to at least one metre, after the tourist island was battered by heavy rain that began Friday afternoon and continued throughout the night. The hardest-hit area was reported in front of Big C hypermarket in tambon Bophut as floodwater rose to one metre on a 200-metre section of the road, making it impassable for small vehicles.
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Samui district chief Paiboon Omak said the water in the area as well as from the Bophut T-junction to Chaweng post office had been drained into the sea and traffic on Highway 4169 had returned to normal on Sunday. However, the roads in front of Bophut police station, Phetch Buncha boxing ring and Centara Grand Beach Resort were still under 40-50 cms of water after a spill from the Pru Chaweng reservoir that flooded nearby areas.
Mr Paiboon said the Samui meteorological station measured the average rainfall at 90 millimeters between Friday and Saturday. He partially blamed garbage brought by floodwater blocking sewers and construction of houses and buildings that blocked natural waterways for the flooding. The drainage was also slow due to high sea tides, he added.
A pickup truck is stuck on the inundated Highway 4169 which was under 50cm to one metre of floodwater on Saturday. (Photo by Supapong Chaolan)