Flood-battered Pak Thong Chai district in Nakhon Ratchasima province was on Tuesday night bracing for another deluge from the overflowing Lam Phra Phloeng dam.
The dam is full to the brim and discharging 20 million cubic metres of excess water, which is expected to reach much of Pak Thong Chai in the next seven days. Authorities fear it will then wreak further havoc in neighbouring Chok Chai district, which is also heavily flooded.
Almost 50 families in Moo 6 village, in tambon Bor Pla Thong, Pak Thong Chai, were evacuated before the water released from the dam submerged their homes.
The three-metre flood also cut off hundreds of metres of a local road and a bridge which connect the village to the outside world.
Provincial governor Wichian Chantharanothai said the heavy downpours on Saturday had sent water in the Lam Phra Phloeng dam surging, causing the excess water to overflow and flood nearby areas.
Mother ruckus: Piyada Thamronglap, white shirt, 58, requests state compensation from Thanakrit Jit-areerat, secretary to the justice minister, for an assault allegedly committed by her son, Passawee Thamronglap, the 35-year-old former national judoka, while high on drugs. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Apart from Pak Thong Chai and Chok Chai districts, the floodwater is also heading to four other districts: Chakkarat, Chalerm Phrakiat, Non Sung and Phimai. They, too, are also still reeling from previous flooding.
The warning came yesterday as the Thai Meteorological Department issued an update on tropical storm Goni, which was centred in the middle of South China Sea at 4pm yesterday and was tracking westwards.
The storm is likely to make landfall in central Vietnam tomorrow, when it is predicted to downgrade, but more rain and strong winds are forecast for upper Thailand.
Also in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, more than 20 water towboats were deployed to expedite flood water being drained into the Phimai dam and out into the network of waterways. That dam is also currently overflowing.
The downtown area of the district has been flooded for more than a week after two canals serving the city centre burst their banks.
Government offices, including the district public health office and police station, remained flooded yesterday.
Across Nakhon Ratchasima, 17 dams and reservoirs are over their capacity.
In Prachin Buri, about 200 rescuers were last night still searching for a couple, identified as Samniang Thampromrat, 65, and his wife, Oa, 63.
They disappeared from their home during a mudslide which hit Ban Wang Mued village, Na Di district, on Sunday, which engulfed their village in tambon Boopparam.