Thailand: Floods - May 2017

High rainfall intensity has caused flood and flash floods in the northern provinces. Seven provinces and 61 villages were affected. In Kamphaeng Pet, the worst affected province, 800 houses were damaged. Meanwhile, 2,000 families in Uttaradit province were urged to evacuate to safer places due to the situation. In total, 853 houses were reportedly affected in province of Kamphaeng Pet, Uttaradit, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Lampang, Loei and Udon Thani. Twister hit Takhli district, Nakhon Sawan province, damaging 27 houses and 89 electric poles. (ASEAN - 21 May 2017)

Uthai Thani’s Royal Irrigation Department (RID) office ordered that the Wang Romklao Dam open all three of its floodgates to release water into the Chao Phraya River so that it could take on more upstream water deposited by recent rains. A 24-hour flood watch was called in the area as water levels had risen to critical heights. (Govt. of Thailand, 12 June 2017)

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned that all areas of the nation would see thunderstorms and showers with Lopburi hit by runoff after a heavy bout of rain. The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) Office 10 joined military units in Lopburi to setup water barriers along the Phon Thong canal in Baan Mie district of the province in response to forest runoff that has swelled the waterway and resulted in flooding of some farms and residences. (Govt. of Thailand, 22 June 2017)

Heavy rain affected several areas of the country over the past week, especially the northeastern provinces, causing floods and flash floods. At least 1,300 people had been displaced and 160,210 people had been affected in 16 provinces. Locally heavy to very heavy rain was forecast to occur over the north and northeast area of the country, including the ones already affected. (ECHO, 24 July 2017)

Flooding in 18 districts of the Sakon Nakhon province of the Northeast was still causing anxiety and serious problems, according to the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office. In Kalasin province, the flooding had inundated 439 villages in 70 tambons across 15 districts, affecting more than 10,000 households. Eleven districts had been declared disaster zones. (Bangkok Post, 30 Jul 2017)

DDPM declared 11 provinces as disaster affected areas. Forty-four (44) provinces were affected and inundated by the monsoon. The affected areas covered 289 districts, 1,147 sub-districts, 10,487 villages, 43 communities. Twenty-seven (27) people reported death. Ten (10) provinces remain inundated with 274,512 families and 837,896 people affected. Meanwhile recovery process was undergoing in 34 provinces. The impact of the flooding was within the capacity of the government. There was no international assistance request at the moment. (ASEAN - 5 Aug 2017)

According to DDPM, the flood situation had eased in 35 provinces. The other nine affected provinces, eight in the Northeast and one on the Central Plain, remained flooded. As a consequence of flooding, a total of 578,814 households in 12,949 villages were affected and 29 people had died. A total of 4,129 houses, 2,055 roads, 14,097 fish ponds, and over 3 million rai of agricultural land were damaged. Irrigation officials installed 22 water jet propulsion drives across the Moon River at a bridge in Ubon Ratchathani to speed up the rate of discharge into the Mekong River, as a large volume of runoff from other flooded areas was expected to flow into the province through the Moon River. (Bangkok Post, 9 Aug 2017)

Flooding was reported in the northern province of Tak with at least 29 houses in Ban Rom Klao Sahamit in tambon Khiri Rat of Phrop Phra district hit by flash floods after heavy and continual rain. The flooding left a thick layer of mud on the main road of the village, rendering it impassible. Meanwhile, in Prachin Buri, a village at the foot of a hill in Prachantakham district, was hit by a flash flood after hours of torrential rain. The water ranged from 1m to 3m deep and continued to rise as rescuers arrived to evacuate residents. (Bangkok Post, 29 Aug 2017)

People in five provinces were battling prolonged floods, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DDPM). The latest DDPM report said nearly 3,000 families in 23 districts of Kalasin, Roi Et, Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon, and Ayutthaya remained in need of assistance. About 10,000 people in those areas were struggling to go about their daily lives. The department had already contacted responsible agencies in the affected areas about providing assistance measures and urged officials in the provinces where the water had subsided to conduct detailed damage assessments, so that the government instigated post-flood assistance programs accordingly. (Govt. of Thailand, 3 Sep 2017)

Flooding had continued to impact several areas of the nation. More than 300 rai of farmland in Khon Kaen had been hit with flooding and local administrators had been ordered to survey damages. Clean up efforts were underway in Ang Thong while over 700 households in three districts of the province were still contending with floodwaters. Royal Irrigation Department (RID) would begin using farmland to take on some 1.5 billion cubic meters of water but assured the process would not cause unwanted flooding. The waters were to be pushed to sea from September 30. (Govt. of Thailand, 12 Sep 2017)

Heavy thunderstorms have triggered severe flooding in ten southern provinces. Satun province has taken the biggest hit, with floodwater was as high as 30 centimeters in the capital district. Meanwhile, in Phichit province, the level of water in the Nan River running through the city’s center, Taphan Hin, and Bang Mun Nak districts has increased at an alarming rate. Local officers say if the water level increases another 40 centimeters, the situation will be critical.The Meteorological Department has reported that southern provinces will continue to experience thundershowers and gusty winds.(Govt. of Thailand, 24 Sep 2017)

In early October, the heaviest rains recorded in 30 years in Phichit province left much of the region inundated and a section of the Nan River swollen to within 20 centimeters of its banks, resulting in widespread flooding of the province. In Ayuthaya province, Governor Sujin Chaichumsak has held a meeting on disaster prevention and mitigation after rains across 6 districts raised water levels to worrying levels. The Meteorological Department forecast harsh weather to continue for the coming week and maintained flood warnings. (Govt. of Thailand, 5 Oct 2017)

Continuous rainfall has triggered heavy flooding in two communities of Uthai Thani Province. Torrential rain caused water in Khlong Pho Reservoir to overflow, causing floods in Phai Khiao and Bo Yang sub-districts of Uthai Thani province. The water level in these communities was reportedly as high as 80 centimeters, damaging roads and compromising several plantation operations. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has reported that rapid flooding has swept Lopburi and Kamphaeng Phet provinces, putting 646 homes under water. (Govt. of Thailand, 8 Oct 2017)

Five people have been killed following the runoff and river overflows in nine Central provinces that affected 140,000 people over the past three days, authorities said on 14 October 2017. Heavy rain from Oct 10-13, a result of a depression and discharge from the Chao Phraya Dam, triggered runoff and overflows in Lop Buri, Kamphaeng Phet, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Tak and Phichit. Chayaphol Thitisak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation (DDPM), said 51,669 households in 32 districts were affected. (Bangkok Post, 15 Oct 2017)

In the early hours of 14 October, the amount of rainwater that fell exceeded 200mm in many areas. In total, 55 spots were inundated, causing widespread damage to homes and assets. More torrential downpours is expected in the lower Central region including Bangkok over the next few days because of a monsoon. (Bangkok Post, 17 Oct 2017)

Flooding persists in 17 provinces, mostly in the Central Plains, but the water will start to recede within a week, according to authorities. Floodwater in the 17 provinces affected about 296,000 people in 2,409 villages and 20 families had to be evacuated. DDPM reported that from Oct 10 to 28, flooding had affected about 325,000 people in 23 provinces and killed 10. (Bangkok Post, 28 Oct 2017)

Heavy rain and floods ravaged many parts of the South, particularly Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung provinces, affecting many people and damaging homes and farms. Hospitals in the 10 affected provinces were told to brace for flash floods resulting from the influence of Typhoon Damrey. According to DDPM, 126,390 households in 79 districts had been affected by flooding from the heavy rain and discharges during Oct 10 to Nov 4. (Bangkok Post, 5 Nov 2017)

Eleven provinces in Thailand remain flooded while people in the southern region have been warned of further heavy rains and gusty winds. According to the Ministry of the Interior, eleven provinces that are still under water include Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Nong Bua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, and Roi Et. A total of 88,227 households are affected by the widespread inundation.. (Govt. of Thailand, 11 Nov 2017)

On Tuesday, November 14, heavy rains triggered flash floods that hit parts of the five southern provinces of Krabi, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Phatthalung and Yala the following day, affecting thousands of people. In Songkhla, at least two schools in Hat Yai district, the province's main business centre, were forced to shut for two days following the floods. Meanwhile, over 500 houses were flooded in Yala. Floodwaters have since receded and the water level of the Chao Phraya river read 23cm on November 15 -- well below the critical point of 6.5m. The Bangkok Post reports that water level measurements conducted at other water checkpoints also suggested that water levels in this main river of the region are decreasing (Bangkok Post, 16 Nov 2017)