Northern Thailand summer storms damage almost 3,000 homes

Almost 3,000 homes are damaged after northern Thailand summer storms wreaked havoc in 11 provinces. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department says Pichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai and Nan are among the hardest hit. 1 death was also reported in Nan province when a tree branch fell onto a woman’s car, killing her. 5 others were injured in Nan, Pichit and Surin.

Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima saw the most damage with about 300 houses needing repairs. Surin province followed in seeing the most damages. The Thailand Meteorological Department says summer storms will continue up north until mid-week.

Last week, a summer storm hit the northern Thailand’s Phitsanulok province, causing serious damage in the town and surrounding areas. Houses, shops, and a petrol station were damaged. Area officials say some houses were completely demolished in the storm. Trees toppled the Phitsanulok-Nakhon Thai highway, where traffic was blocked in several areas.

District chief, Nisit Sawasdithep, told Chiang Rai Times that he ordered disaster mitigation authorities to examine the damage so that assistance and relief goods could be rapidly provided for those who were affected the most by the summer storm.

Also in northern Thailand, farmland and forests blaze with abundance (the annual burning season usually lasts from January to April, before the wet season kicks in). Despite increasing cautions against air pollution affecting short and long-term health of residents, the fires don’t show signs of stopping. The government has even issued a no burning ban, but enforcing the ban has proved to be fruitless as such provinces in northern Thailand consist of vast forest lands.

The government helicopter team can only do so much as they set out to locate hotspots and attempt to extinguish them by dropping buckets of water. But crop burning appears to be the cheapest and fastest way to help farmers clear their lands for a new growing season.

Recently, Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Mai has ranked the 3rd most polluted city in the world, according to AirVisual, which gives live updates of rankings. Today, Chiang Mai doesn’t appear in the list of the top 10 most air-polluted cities in the world, according to iqair.com

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times

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