Floodwaters this year same as in 2011 but disaster unlikely: Anutin

DEPUTY Prime Minister/Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today (Sep. 25) that the amount of floodwaters and rainfall this year is the same as during 2011’s great floods but expects the situation to not be that serious, Thai Rath newspaper said.

Thailand is also affected by water released by neighbouring countries which is something the government cannot control but has to manage, he added.

People in water catchment zones like Bangkok will unlikely to see a repeat of 2011’s severe flooding when parts of the capital were very heavily flooded in October with flooding persisting in some areas until mid-Jan. 2012. The 2011 floods ranks the country’s most damaging to date.

While the Ping river overflowed its banks in Chiang Mai today with floodwaters gushing through the economic zone, Chiang Mai Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn informed the minister that the situation is still manageable even though the river remains high.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be travelling to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai on Friday to inspect the flooding and will hand over some equipment to help alleviate the people’s suffering.

Even as houses in Chiang Mai got flooded, Region 5 police station and adjoining police flats, housing over a thousand people, too got inundated today.

Although most police officers have moved out with essential items for their duties, around 200 remained behind to take care of the flats.

Most recently, Pol. Lt. Gen. Kritthapol Yisakorn, commander of Provincial Police Region 5, brought boxed meals to the stairs of the flats and distributed them to the policemen and their families with the Ping river remaining high.

CAPTION:

Policemen moving out of their Region 5 station and adjacent flats today, Sep. 25, 2024, after heavy flooding. Photos: Thai Rath