Yala braced for floods as water released from dam

Yala braced for floods as water released from dam

Residents in Yala municipality were scrambling yesterday to erect flood defences as authorities continued discharging water from nearby Bang Lang Dam.

The dam's sluice gate was opened on Friday as persistent rainfall raised its water level to near capacity.

Residents in Muang district expected the release of water from the dam to raise the Pattani River by another 50cm.

As of yesterday the river was still about 1.5m below a concrete dyke which surrounds the Muang Mai market. But it had already burst its banks on the opposite side, swamping Ban Bado in Muang district's tambon Yupo. The municipality office was distributing free sandbags to help locals defend the area from flooding.

The municipality has issued flood alerts for locals near the old market, Bamo canal, Withoon Uthit Road 9 and 10, Soi Siroros 14, Municipality 5 School, Wat Suan Mai, Ma Praw market, Muang Thong village and the Nuen Hu Kwang junction.

A police border patrol unit accommodation and a multipurpose pavilion in Hala Bala forest around Bang Lang Dam has also been inundated by more than 1m of water.

Images of the submerged base were shared online by an officer attached to the unit.

Reports by a foreign news agency that eight people had been killed in the flooding could not be confirmed. In Pattani, the release of water from Bang Lang Dam has exacerbated flooding in Yarang, Mae Lan, Nong Chik and Muang districts. Some areas were reported to have been under more than 2m of water.

The situation in Muang district remained critical yesterday. Nong Chik Road, which forms the main link to Songkhla's Hat Yai district, and Yarang Road were covered by 50cm of water.

All roads in the municipality's main commercial centre were underwater, with areas along the Pattani River hit hardest.

Residents have been warned to brace for further flooding as the release of water from Bang Lang Dam continues.

In Narathiwat, floodwaters receded in 13 districts yesterday as rains eased. However, residents in Sungai Kolok, Waeng and Tak Bai districts were still struggling with floodwaters of up to 1m after the Sungai Kolok River burst its banks.

The situation in those three districts has also been exacerbated by flooding in Rantau Panjang of Malaysia's Kelantan state, where run-off was feeding rising levels in the Sungai Kolok River.

Floods in the three districts are expected to subside after New Year. Heavy rains are expected to blanket Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces from today until Thursday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

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