Prepare for October floods – Governor

PHUKET: Following the recent downpours that caused minor floods and landslides around the island, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura yesterday warned officials to prepare at-risk areas for potential floods and landslides in October, when more heavy rains traditionally deluge the island.

The unusually heavy rain in Phuket in August has led forecasters at the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast), based at Phuket International Airport, to predict the weather will only get worse in upcoming months.

“Officials must prepare for flooding soon and be prepared to pump out problem areas,” Gov Udomsak said, adding that several areas were expected to suffer heavy flooding and advised officials in those areas to be especially vigilant.

“I’m worried about the Samkong area in Phuket City, especially at the Tesco-Lotus Intersection, because it has a lot of construction,” he said. “Other places are the lowlands behind the Big C supercenter, and also Komaraphat Rd because there is always flooding there.”

Heavy rains over the past week caused a minor landslide on Patong Hill and flooding around the go-kart track in Kathu. “There are other affected areas such as Karon, but the problems are not serious, and when the rain stops it will return to normal,” Dumri Sungsarb, of the the Phuket Provincial Defense Office, told the Gazette.

However, he added that if the rains persisted he would expect more problems at Soi Siangtai, on Thepkrasattri Rd, an area known for flooding and landslides. “We are working with Phuket City Municipality to solve this problem. This is not easy, however, as water runs down Soi Siangtai and collects on Thepkrasattri Rd, causing flooding,” K. Dumri said.

“There are many houses in the area, which means that fixing the roads would be very inconvenient,” he added.