CHIANG MAI: The overflowing Ping River rose further on Wednesday night as a fresh surge of runoff from Chiang Dao district worsened conditions in the already heavily flooded downtown of Muang district.
The Chiang Mai provincial public relations office said on Wednesday night that the water level in the river had reached 4.75 metres as of 7pm, up 30 centimetres from earlier in the day.
The Mae Ngat Somboon Chon reservoir in the northern province was holding 277 million cubic metres of water, or 105% of its capacity as of Wednesday morning, according to an update from the Mae Faek-Mae Ngat Somboon Chon water transmission and maintenance project.
Rising water in the Ping River is expected to cause the Mae Ngat River to burst its banks and start flooding communities and farms along the river from 1am on Thursday.
Local residents living in communities along the Mae Ngat River were told to move their belongings to higher ground and park their vehicles in safe areas.
Vehicles make their way through floodwater in Chiang Mai. (Photo: Chiang Mai Public Relations Office)
The Ping River, which passes through Chiang Mai city, exceeded the critical mark of 4.2 metres at the Nawarat Bridge monitoring station around midnight Tuesday, rising to 4.45 metres as of 5am on Wednesday. It stabilised at that level before starting to rise again on Wednesday evening.
The flooding on Tuesday and Wednesday struck business areas on Chang Khan and Charoen Prathet roads and into the Night Bazaar. Low-lying communities in Pa Daed and Nong Hoi areas were also inundated.
Workers from Chiang Mai municipality and state agencies erected sandbag barriers to reinforce the riverbanks. Sandbags distributed to local residents were being used to protect their communities. (continues below)
A sandbag floodwall and pumps help keep water out of a riverside community in Chiang Mai on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Panumet Tangraksa)
Drainage pipes burst under the load, adding to the problems in large areas of Muang district. The water was 30-50cm deep and some roads were impassable for small vehicles. Many residents said it was similar to the worst flooding in Chiang Mai in 2022.
Irrigation Office 1 on Wednesday warned residents to brace for more flooding as northern runoff, triggered by heavy overnight rain, was on its way from the Mae Taeng and Nam Ping rivers in Chiang Dao district. It would flow into the already rain-swollen Ping River on Wednesday night. This would further raise the water level.
Downtown Muang district of Chiang Mai is flooded on Wednesday after the Ping River overflowed on Tuesday night. Another flood surge was expected to arrive on Wednesday night. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)
Water pumps were being installed to help drain flood-hit areas and teams with heavy clearing machinery were working closely with other agencies to help the victims.
Chiang Mai Municipality opened a temporary shelter at the municipal hospital for victims in need of help, particularly bed-ridden and elderly people.
A sandbag wall at the gate of a house in Muang district of Chiang Mai municipality. (Photo: Panumet Tangraksa)