Severe flooding ravaged 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.
Making matters more worrisome, the reservoir at the Mae Nghat Dam, the biggest in the northern province, was at 113% of its storage capacity on Saturday, according to data from 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 major inundation on Sept 26.
A key business district on Chang Khan 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 to accommodate potential delays, it said in a Facebook post. Lanna hospital has also been affected by the floods, according to a separate post.
Elephant tragedy
In Taeng district, meanwhile, an all-out effort was continuing to locate animals trapped in rising waters and fast flood currents that have swamped the famous Elephant Nature Park.
The park is home to 126 elephants, two of which were confirmed to have perished after being swept away by the floodwaters.
Phang Fah Sai, a 16-year-old female elephant, was found dead near the Sibsan resort in Mae Taeng district on Saturday morning. The other dead pachyderm was identified as Phloy Thong, a blind female elephant aged 40.
Conservationist Saengduean “Lek” Chailert, the founder of the park, burst into tears on seeing the dead animals near the resort. Walking to the spot where Phang Fah Sai lay, she hugged the animal and cried. She later walked towards the carcass of Phloy Thong, about 300 metres away, and hugged the blind elephant with tears rolling down her checks.
Earlier on her Facebook page, Ms Saengduean had described Friday as “a day of darkness and gloom” for the park.
When they received the flood warning on Thursday, staff started evacuating elephants to higher ground and the effort continued into Friday night. However, the water kept rising and even more elevated areas were not spared. The entire elephant village was now severely inundated.
“Our animals are floating adrift in floodwater. Our elephants are not chained, but stay in fenced enclosures,” Ms Saengduean wrote. “Floodwater has risen to over 3 metres and exceeds the fences of the animals’ shelters, almost reaching the roofs.”
Many cows and buffaloes at the park also went missing during the severe flooding. All of the cats and dogs from the compound were safe, she said, but there were no cages for the animals.
She expressed her gratitude to rescue workers, volunteers and government agencies for their help. Many elephant camps also sent their mahouts to help control panicked elephants at the park and evacuate them.
She also asked for help for vehicles to evacuate 23 blind and old horses from the flooded park and was seeking donations of old clothes and blankets for thousands of dogs and cats after the floods swept away everything that was inside their enclosures.
Elephant Nature Park is famous for the work it does to rescue and rehabilitate elephants. It is also a sanctuary for other animals such as cats, pigs, water buffalo and birds.
Water has reached the roofs of the dogs and cat enclosures in the compound of the Elephant Nature Park in Mae Taeng district of Chiang Mai. Hundreds of dogs and cats have been evacuated to higher ground. (Photo: Saengduean Chailert Facebook)