Downpours triggered by tropical depression Mujigae are replenishing reservoirs in Chachoengsao but flooding homes and farmland in other provinces, prompting alerts to residents.
Mujigae, which on Sunday developed from a tropical storm into a typhoon before being downgraded yesterday morning, is causing rainfall across the upper parts of the country.
Chachoengsao province, east of Bangkok, has begun to see the effects. A village in Tha Takiab district was hit by a devastating flash flood, while the rain brought by the storm has helped to bring up levels of the province's two major reservoirs, which were running low.
Torrential rain on late Sunday night caused chaos in Ban Noi Nadi Moo 11 as flood waters breached 40 houses, damaging electrical appliances and farming equipment.
The flood waters began to recede before dawn yesterday, but villagers are still coping with its devastating effects.
However, officials overseeing Khlong Siyat reservoir in the district and Khlong Rabom reservoir in Sanam Chai Khet district said the flash flood was good news.
Before the rains, the water level at Khlong Siyat was 90 million cubic metres, out of its 420 million cu/m capacity, they said.
However, the rains over the past four days have topped it up to 198.3 million cu/m -- almost half its capacity.
The rain has relieved fears of an upcoming drought that is expected to hit the province next year, officials said.
Heavy rain also replenished Khlong Rabom, bringing it up to 32.9 million cu/m, nearly 60% of its 55 million cu/m capacity.
Elsewhere in the Central Plains, Mujigae has also brought more rain to areas upstream of the Chao Phraya River.
Officials released more water from the Chao Phraya barrage dam in Chai Nat to avoid an overflow, said Chao Phraya dam director Ekkasit Sakdithanaphon.
"More releases will be needed if the rain continues," he said.
This is a turnaround for the dam which last month had to slow water releases due to little rainfall in upstream provinces, causing officials to warn that farmlands would experience water scarcity.
Other provinces are expecting more rainfall this week due to Mujigae. Phitsanulok officials are keeping a close watch on five districts, especially Nakhon Thai which was declared a disaster zone after being hit by flash floods and landslides on Sept 23.
If heavy downpours hit these districts, people may need to be evacuated from areas at risk, said Ratirot Mikhamhaeng, of Phitsanulok's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office.
Similar flood warnings were also raised in Chanthaburi and Trat.
Rainfall triggered by Mujigae is expected to hit the Central Plains, the North East and the East, said the Meteorology Department. However, Uttaradit in northern Thailand, where Sirikit dam is located, has been without rain for over a month and water levels in the dam are currently less than half its capacity.
