Relief kits distributed to flood-hit southern provinces

PHUKET: The provincial Public Health Office yesterday morning sent relief packages of food and medical supplies to flood-hit southern provinces including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla.

Residents in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Pak Phanang district have urged state agencies to help drain floodwater from the Pak Phanang River Basin before their farms, including rubber, oil palm and pomelo plantations, are destroyed.

The basin area, which covers Pak Phanang, Chalerm Phrakiat, Chian Yai and Cha-uat, was inundated.

Nakhon Si Thammarat Governor Chamroen Tipayapongthada said 301,557 residents had been affected by floods, which have claimed five lives, damaged 890 homes and 159,363 rai of rice fields, 15,889 rai of plantations, and 1.1 million rai of orchards and other farm areas.

Similarly, flood relief kits provided by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, comprising water, uncooked rice and dried foods among other items were distributed yesterday in Songkhla’s Ranot District.

The 43rd Border Patrol Police of the Ram Kham Haeng Camp officers delivered the kits to 200 families in heavily-flooded Ban Phak Kood in Tambon Ban Mai.

Songkhla and other southern provinces have been hit by heavy rains and floods since the beginning of the month.

In Trang’s Muang District, flood barriers along the Trang River burst on Wednesday night at one 10-meter section in Tambon Nong Trud and another 20-meter section in Tambon Bang Rak. This sent torrents of water into nearby homes and forced residents to move to higher ground.

Torrents also knocked over power poles causing blackouts, forcing Provincial Electricity Authority workers to cut power as a precaution.

Floodwater in Nong Trud, Bang Rak, Na Ta Luang and Na Toh Ming in Muang District, as well as areas in downstream Kantang District, were deep and draining slowly due to the seasonal seawater inflows.

Officials installed pumps borrowed from Phuket officials at the 20rai (3.2-hectare) Tha Chin Temple, which was surrounded by floodwater threatening hundreds of monks and their students. Officials said they hoped the two-meter-deep water could be drained in less than 24 hours if there was no more rain or runoff.

In Surat Thani, the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office announced yesterday that the situation was improving after the rain stopped, although several coastal homes remained under one meter of water due to seawater inflows.

It was reported that overall 17 districts in Surat Thani were hit by floods, affecting 106,874 residents, causing three deaths and leaving one person missing. More than 1,700 homes, 7,300 farms, 200 fish ponds, 180 roads, 160 bridges and seven dams were damaged, causing losses of 60 million baht.

The week-long flooding has also caused many residents to develop water-borne sickness.