Chiang Mai floods again

Motorcycles are parked in floodwater in front of the bus terminal in Chiang Mai, where the water level in the Ping River reached a record 5.30 metres on Saturday morning. (Photo: Public Relations Office Region 3, Chiang Mai)
Motorcycles are parked in floodwater in front of the bus terminal in Chiang Mai, where the water level in the Ping River reached a record 5.30 metres on Saturday morning. (Photo: Public Relations Office Region 3, Chiang Mai)

Severe flooding hit Chiang Mai as the water in the Ping River rose to a record 5.3 metres on Saturday, while two more elephants swept away from a popular animal sanctuary were found dead in Mae Taeng district.

The river, which passes through Chiang Mai city, was rising rapidly and its water level reached 5.30 metres at the Nawarat Bridge around noon on Saturday, breaking records that had stood for 50 years.

The reservoir at the Mae Nghat Dam, the biggest in the northern province, was at 113% of its storage capacity on Saturday, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.

In many areas, floodwaters were about one metre deep on Saturday. Key economic zones in Chiang Mai were badly hit again, just as they were starting to recover from an earlier flood on Sept 26.

A business district on Chang Khlan Road and the Night Bazaar were under one metre of floodwater, and many shops have been forced to close.

Rising floodwater has prompted officials to evacuate tourists to safer areas. However, several hotels remain open and are looking after those visitors who have decided to stay.

Chiang Mai International Airport continues to operate as usual, though passengers are advised to plan for an additional two to three hours of travel time for potential delays.

In Taeng district, floods swamped the famous Elephant Nature Park, killing two of the 126 elephants. 

Phang Fah Sai, a 16-year-old female elephant, was found dead on Saturday morning. The other dead elephant was Phloy Thong, a blind female aged 40.

Learn from listening

Click play to listen to audio for this story, or download to save the file
: :

Vocabulary

  • bazaar: a street or an area of a town where there are many small shops - ตลาดที่ขายของหลากหลายชนิด
  • blind (adj): unable to see (Note: Nowadays we often use the term "visually-impaired" instead of "blind") - ตาบอด
  • capacity: the total amount or number that can be contained - ปริมาณสูงสุดที่จะรับได้
  • dam: a wall built across a river to stop the water from flowing, especially in order to create a lake or to help to produce electric power - เขื่อน
  • evacuate: to cause to leave a place because it is not safe - เคลื่อนย้ายออกจาก
  • operate: to carry out a planned activity involving a lot of people to work in a particular way or from a particular place - ปฏิบัติ, ปฏิบัติงาน
  • potential: possible - ความเป็นไปได้
  • rapidly: happening quickly - อย่างรวดเร็ว
  • record: the best or most ever achieved - สถิติ
  • recovery: the process of becoming normal and healthy again - ฟื้นฟูสภาพ
  • reservoir: a natural or artificial lake where water is stored - อ่างเก็บน้ำ
  • swamped: covered with a large amount of water - ท่วม, จมอยู่ในน้ำ

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT