Province in central Thailand hit by river overflows

Authorities in one province in central Thailand are advising people who live near rivers to move their belongings to higher ground due to rivers bursting their banks. Ayutthaya province has seen rising water levels in the Chao Phraya, and Noi rivers since earlier this week.

Some residents’ houses have already been inundated, forcing them to camp out in tents provided by authorities. Some locals are also parking their cars on highway shoulders to avoid flooding.

At Bang Ban canal in Bang Ban district, the newly built watergate has helped keep water flowing at a manageable level, instead of flooding canal-side communities as in the past. But authorities now estimate that if the Chao Phraya River keeps rising, the water level might be too much for the gate’s capacity. This could cause flooding in some of the canal-side areas.

The 16 kilometre canal is connected to the Chao Phraya and runs through 10 Ayutthaya sub-districts.

This news comes after another province in central Thailand was hit by floods just last week. Five waterfalls and two national parks in Nakhon Nayok province were devastated by flash floods. A large amount of reddish brown water poured down into Nang Rong Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park. The waterfall’s water level rose to over half a metre, submerging a bridge. Khao Yai has temporarily closed the parks.

At another national park in the province, water levels rose to a level not seen in years. The water levels at Wang Takrai park in the Sarika subdistrict were between 50 centimetres and 1 metre. Floodwaters swallowed stores and houses under a bridge and a 1 kilometre stretch of a highway.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand