The breach of Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam in southern Laos that killed dozens of villagers, with several still missing, should be a wake-up call for Thai authorities who this week issued disaster warnings while rolling up their sleeves for possible incidents.
The weathermen predict further rainfall in almost all regions Sunday and Monday and there will be even more to come.
Army chief Chalermchai Sitthisad instructed his troops to be ready to give help to those who are affected by floods.
In Kanchanaburi, home to the huge Srinakarin and Vajiralongkorn dams, with respective storage capacities of 17,745 and 8,800 million cubic metres, the deputy provincial governor told district chiefs to prepare safe areas for residents in case evacuations are needed due to severe mudslides and flash floods.
One disaster came early, a week ahead of the dam tragedy in Laos, villagers in Nan's Bo Klue were hit by mudslides that killed eight and injured many. Those remaining were later evacuated to safe areas.
In fact, over the past few years, the country has experienced extreme weather patterns that have sadly resulted in the loss of lives and property.
Last year several areas were hit by rain-induced inundation, in addition to the seasonal flooding that results from high tides and discharges from the northern region.
Many still remember a flood in Sakon Nakhon province following heavy storms in July last year. The situation got worse after a massive amount of water was discharged from the Huay Sa Khamin reservoir. Nine people, including a rescue officer, were drowned while 13 districts and parts of the adjacent Nakhon Phanom were severely damaged. There were allegations that the ageing reservoir might have breached but the Irrigation Department never admitted to it. It merely said some damage had occurred to the reservoir's structure. It's unfortunate there was no probe into the case.
This year, the forecast has triggered wide concern after the Irrigation Department said earlier this week that several reservoirs are close to capacity.
The government set up a joint task force centre at the Irrigation Department where officials analyse information on the situation at reservoirs nationwide around the clock. There are reports that 11 major dams need to be monitored as they are expected to reach their limits in one month. Of them, two large dams -- the Nam Oun dam in Sakon Nakhon and the Kaeng Krachan dam in Phetchaburi -- are almost full or about 80-90% of capacity and need to be drained at a faster rate.
The warnings and preparedness show responsiveness on the part of government officials dealing with natural disasters and public safety but they are hardly enough. All the measures appear passive as they are mostly based on a "wait-and-see" principle.
Extreme weather patterns require comprehensive measures to prevent losses. For example, district and sub-district offices should be instructed to map out the most disaster-prone areas so that officials can take action in a proactive way. Steep areas should be given priority and the responsible agencies should be able to colour-code the alert, red, yellow or orange when a storm hits.
Besides, these measures there should also be a review of plant promotion by the state as some natural disasters can be exacerbated by the choices of flora and fauna in a particular region.
The promotion of rubber farming by the Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry which expanded to several provinces in the northeastern region over the past years is a good example of this.
Under the policy, this kind of plant was grown indiscriminately in some questionable spots like hilly areas in several northeastern provinces, especially Loei which has high terrain, for example. It is well known that rubber plants have no primary roots and planting them on slopes puts the area at high risk of landslides such as those suffered by the people of Katoon, in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Phipun district in 1988.
That tragedy hit after days of torrential rain triggered fatal mudslides from Khao Luang mountain, which had been covered with rubber plantations.
Several hundred rubber trees were uprooted and mixed in with the sliding mud, burying the villages.
More than 100 residents were killed and it took years for the village to recover from the damage caused. The state should know that with such extreme weather patterns, Thailand cannot flirt with policies that only increase the risk of catastrophe.
More importantly, the Meteorological department must be become more efficient and issue relevant weather warnings, so other agencies can act swiftly on the information.
At a policy level, it's time Thailand considered measures to tackle climate change, even if it's still not bound by the climate agreement. As a country so severely affected by the problem, Thailand cannot afford to do nothing.