Forest runoff causes havoc in Lop Buri

Forest runoff causes havoc in Lop Buri

Heavy rain and forest runoff have hit Lop Buri hard, swamping villages and forcing hundreds to evacuate in the main Muang district. (Post Today photo)
Heavy rain and forest runoff have hit Lop Buri hard, swamping villages and forcing hundreds to evacuate in the main Muang district. (Post Today photo)

Several tambons in Lop Buri's Muang district have been submerged in the wake of forest runoff triggered by hours of torrential rain.

More than five hours of downpours since Monday evening resulted in runoff that swamped tambon Khok Tum that night and then tambons Nikhom Sang Ton Eng, Tha Sala and Kok-ko Tuesday morning.

People in the affected areas reportedly scrambled to move their belongings to higher ground and move their vehicles and livestock.

The runoff also inundated the Lop Buri-Wang Muang road and Khok Tum Road, which crosses Phahon Yothin Road between Lop Buri and Saraburi.

This caused several kilometres of traffic congestion in the morning rush hour. Several vehicles broke down trying to crawl through the 50 centimetres of floodwater.

Along the Phatthana Nikhom-Khok Tum road, villagers were racing against time to build sandbag walls in front of their shops in preparation for further runoff.

In Nakhon Nayok, Ban Khao Nang Buat in Muang district was still under 30-50cm of water Tuesday morning following the Nakhon Nayok River overflow.

Nakhon Nayok River was, however, still 60cm below the top of the bank in Muang municipality and it is not expected to flood the area.

Royal Irrigation Department deputy director-general Thaweesak Thanadechopol said the Khun Dan Prakarn Chon Dam's discharge has been reduced since Monday night so as to keep the level of the Nakhon Nayok River in check.

In Ayutthaya's Bang Ban district, local officers surveyed the collapse of the Chao Phraya River's bank close to a house in tambon Bang Chanee.

Officers agreed to install wooden poles along the bank to temporarily stem the erosion.

In Nan, mountain runoff triggered mudslides that uprooted trees, blocked roads and damaged houses on Monday night in two districts of this northern province.

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