Floods Kill Well Over 100 People in Thailand's North and Northeast by Phairath Khampha 31 August 2001 Disastrous floods in 13 northern provinces of Thailand in August 2001 killed well over 100 people, affected tens of thousands of people and caused damage totalling more than 580 million baht. Villagers lamented, meanwhile, that they had to struggle to cope with both the natural disaster and human scavengers feasting on relief supplies and funds earmarked for them as greedy, corrupt government officials stole whatever disaster relief funds they could. The Local Administration Department's Civil Defence Centre on August 7 submitted a report on the flooding in Phayao, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Lampang to the cabinet. One person died in Muang district of Phayao, while the inundation also damaged 35,050 rai (1 rai = 1,600 m2) of farmland, many houses, roads and dykes in Muang, Mae Chai, Dok Kham Tai, Chun, Chiang Kham, Pong and Chiang Muan districts. Flooding in Phayao affected more than 4,000 locals and caused damage amounting to 1.6 million baht (US$1 = 45.3 baht). In Chiang Rai, floods hit many areas of Muang, Mae Suai, Mae Lao, Phaya Mengrai, Wiang Pa Pao, Pa Daet, Chiang Khong and Phan districts and Wiang Chiang Rung sub-district, affecting 1,768 families. More than 500 rai of farmland in Wiang Pa Pao district, 6,000 rai in Pa Daet district, 851 rai in Chiang Khong district and 3,300 rai in Wiang Chiang Rung sub-district were inundated. The cost of damage caused by flooding there was estimated at 613,500 baht. In Chiang Mai province, Muang, Fang, Chiang Dao, Wiang Haeng and San Pa Tong districts were flooded. Non-stop rain prevented floodwater in Fang district from receding. Thirty children and elderly people were evacuated to safe places. In Lampang, floods hit Chae Hom district on Sunday, affecting 3,021 local people and damaging 114 rai of farmland. On August 7, Chiang Mai governor Kosin Ketthong said the inundation affected 2,000 families and caused damage totalling 19 million baht to 9,200 rai of farmland and many houses, roads and bridges in 12 districts. Floodwaters in Chiang Dao, Fang, Mae Taeng and Mae Ai districts receded the following day and the water level in the Ping river had begun to drop, Mr Kosinsaid. In Chiang Rai, floods claimed five lives including two in Phan district and one each in Muang, Mae Fa Luang and Mae Suai districts between August 3 and 7. More than 60,000 rai of farmland in nine districts were inundated while 73 roads, six bridges and five dykes were damaged by the floods, which forced the temporary closure of 16 schools. Chiang Rai governor Samrerng Boonyopakorn on August 7 warned locals against heavy rain expected to be triggered by a depression approaching Thailand soon. Chiang Rai's Muang district chief Kraiwuth Jirabutr said each district had a budget of 100,000 baht for use in case of emergency. Nong Khai under water as Mekong bursts banks The Mekong river overflowed in several areas around Nong Khai province, and authorities in northeastern and eastern provinces were put on flood alert. The river level rose to 11.90 metres in Nong Khai on August8, 20 centimetres higher than on the previous day. It overflowed into the municipality, tambon [sub-district]Tha Bo and tambon Pak Mang of Tha Bo district, affecting 108 families and damaging about 300 rai of farmland. The strong current also eroded the bank near Wat Chumpol in tambon Pan Prao of Si Chiang Mai district. Nong Khai authorities closed four water control gates and set eight pumps to work draining the flooded areas. The river's level also rose in Amnat Charoen province as rains continued on August 8. Chanuman district was under serious threat, but had not been flooded as of that night. In Buri Ram province, heavy rain kept levels rising in local waterways and reservoirs. Authorities began dredging waterways and discharging water from some reservoirs to prevent floods. Even so, about 1.1 million rai of paddy fields in six districts of Buri Ram-Muang, Nang Rong, Chamni, Na Pho, Phutthaisong, and Ban Mai Chai Pot-were still without adequate water for the 2001 rainy season crop. In Chiang Rai, flooding subsided on August 8after the rains stopped in the previous afternoon and overnight. Water levels had dropped to 50cm in tambon Jom Mok Kaew, tambon Prakor Dam and tambon Bua Salee of Mae Lao district, and 60cm in tambon Din Lao and tambon Pa Or Donchai of Muang district. Tambon Sansai and tambon Thasai of Muang district were under a metre of water, and municipal areas 50-80cm as of August 8. Death toll 147, damage totals 580 million baht in 13 provinces as rains continue The death toll from a week of disastrous flash-floods reached 147, with at least 109 people injured and nine others missing, the Interior Ministry said on August 17. The ministry reported that the damage in the 13 hardest-hit provinces stood at about 580 million naht, but the real figure were expected to be much higher because the situation had not returned to normal and the floods had reached 26 provinces nationwide. The Meteorological Department, meanwhile, forecast that heavy downpours would continue in the North and Northeast, and urged residents in Lamphun, Sukhothai, Phichit, Nakhon Panom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Amnat Charoen, and Ubon Ratchathani to be on full alert. "Flooding will persist, especially in low-lying areas near river beds. Therefore, the department wants to warn people of possible overflows from rivers," the department said. The weather bureau also issued a warning for local people in Chanthaburi and Trat to brace for flash-floods. The worst-hit province of Phetchabun, where at least 115 residents perished in flash-floods and landslides during the August 11-12 weekend, remained at risk of another round of fresh flooding as cloudbursts covered the province yesterday. Dr Thongchai Chuengthavorn of the Phetchabun public health office said three patients had died of an infection caused by what looked like the bacteria Clostridium perfringens, and 10 others were in critical condition. "Some 28 other infected patients have remained in hospital," he added. No lab tests have yet confirmed the bacteria as Clostridium perfringens, which can cause abrupt and severe infection resulting in death. Thongchai said he had asked for urgent medical help from nearby provinces to prevent the spread of the bacteria. He said patients with athlete's foot in flooded areas were prone to catch the fatal disease. However, no report of the bacteria was reported elsewhere. In Nakhon Panom, 71,477 rai of farmland were under water. Some 1,329 fish farms, a dam, a public park and 58 roads were destroyed. Rescue crews were handing out relief items to flood-hit people from flat-bottomed boats. In Chiang Rai, an eight-year-old boy died in flooded Mae Suay district after he fell off a bridge and was swept away in a violent current. About 500 families in the province's Thoeng district, meanwhile, were travelling by boat because the floodwater stood at 1.8 metres. Concerned authorities distributed basic necessities, particularly water, to the affected areas every day. Medical teams were dispatched to provide check-ups to prevent residents from catching diseases such as athlete's foot. A large number of houses in Phitsanulok were submerged under 1.5-metre-deep water. No cars could function in the severely flooded areas and affected people relied solely on relief items provided by officials. The rescue teams also had to carry many people on flat-bottomed boats to hospitals, as many senior citizens suffered from stress as a result of the destruction of their homes and farmlands. More than 200 families in tambon Hinlat were evacuated to higher ground after the water level covered the rooftops of their houses. Diseases hit flood victims By August 20 the death toll from the floods had risen to at least 163 and another 30 were still missing in the 32 flood-hit provinces. The Local Administration Department (LAD) said the spread of deadly bacteria Clostridium tetani and Clostridium perfrigens had struck many people in Phetchabun. 100 residents were said to had gone down to diseases caused by the bacteria and 33 seriously ill patients were being treated at Phetchabun Hospital. Resident Kruay Thong-on, 70, had both his legs amputated because of complications arising from a bacterial infection. In the wake of these fatalities, Dr Somsong Rakpao of the Communicable Disease Control Department on August 19 ordered vaccinations against the bacteria to be carried out in all flood-hit areas. Both residents and rescue crews in flood-hit districts were vaccinated the following day. Lom Sak Hospital director Dr Pongpich Wongmanee said infected patients were prone to severe infections and the bacteria would destroy their tissue unless proper treatment is given. "It can certainly result in death," he said. A nurse in Phetchabun Hospital said patients with minor injuries could recover in a few weeks but if their injuries were more serious, it would take months for them to heal. Meanwhile, Lom Kao district chief Thirawat Poonpipat convened an urgent meeting on August 19 after being informed that landslides might follow any future torrential rainfalls. Cracks were detected in many parts on the route to Phu Hin Rongkla National Park. At least 124 residents died in last week's flash floods and landslides in Phetchabun's Lom Sak district. "Residents in these high-risk areas have been warned to prepare for evacuation should critical rainfall be forecast," he said. The residents set up a system of alarm bells made of bamboo in case of emergency. Amidst all the wreckage and grief, an attempted sexual assault was reported in Phetchabun on August 15. Suspect Wanchai Meenoi, 21, turned himself over to police. Naked hills blamed for flash floods, mudslides - Policy of tree-felling led to tragedy Phetchabun has been almost stripped bare of forest since its modernisation began in 1960, a condition which contributed to August's disastrous floods and mudslides which claimed at least 122 lives, forestry officials said. Satellite images showed forest covered 70.47% of Phetchabun in 1960, but had dwindled to 19% by 1995, a Forest Resource Assessment Division official said. She had compared forest maps of the year 2000 and 1995 and found another large area of forest area had since disappeared. Exactly how much was still unclear. The remaining forest was limited to parts of Thung Salaeng Luang and Phu Hin Rong Kla national parks. Nam Kor village in Lom Sak district was hit on August 11 by flash floods and mudslides, killing at least 122 people. It is located near Khao Nam Kor mountain, which has been largely denuded, mainly by greedy members of Thailand's economic and political elite working in collusion with corrupt government officials. Research concluded deforestation in Phetchabun, especially in Khao Kho, Lom Sak and Lom Kao districts, was caused by government clearcutting of forests to deny the communists shelter during the 1960s, the shifting cultivation of Hmong villagers, and cold-climate fruit plantations on the province's highlands by wealthy investors from other provinces. Phetchabun farms are renowned for produce like sweet tamarind, passion fruit, mangoes, longan, lychee, corn, cotton, ginger and cabbages. "The Forestry Department's reforestation programme in Phetchabun was not successful because a lot of people wanted land for agriculture," an officer of the Natural Resources Conservation Office wrote in a report. "Conflict between forestry officers and farmers occurs frequently in the province." Another researcher blamed tourism for deforestation. "Since the province has a cool temperature and mountainous terrain, some people have named it 'Thailand's Switzerland' and promoted the province as a tourist destination. That is why vast tracts of land have been illegally occupied by numerous resort owners who are members of the country's elite." A Phetchabun provincial forestry officer added: "State officers are not allowed to issue land ownership documents for any land with more than a 35 degree slope, but documents were issued for much of the highlands of Phetchabun, which should be left as forest areas. These officers were paid large sums of money by wealthy, greedy logging company owners." A Lom Sak district forestry officer said the mountain range where the flash floods swept down and hit tambons Nam Kor, Nam Choon and Fai Na Saeng the on August 11 was excluded from the forest reserve and was not supervised by the forestry office. "The estimated 200,000 rai of land on the range in Lom Sak district have suppsedly been under the care of the Public Welfare Department for almost 40 years. The department set up a hilltribe aid centre and allotted them land for highland farming," he said. "Obviously insufficient care was given to this area." Lom Sak is often flooded because it is in a valley, he said. A flash flood in 1976 killed about 40 people. The department planned to reclaim the land from the Public Welfare Department for reforestation. "The forest will grow within three years, if nobody disturbs the area," he said. Reforestation was also essential at Khao Kho, where large areas had become the realm of hotels and resorts, all owned by Thailand's elite. Accusations fly over flood relief Baan Nam Kor headman Sawat Sanghan, embroiled in the siphoning off of donations intended for the flood victims in Phetchabun, pointed his accusing finger at a district chief officer for his suspicious control over the donations. Villagers lamented, meanwhile, that they had to struggle to cope with both the natural disaster and human scavengers feasting on relief supplies and funds earmarked for them while greedy and corrupt government officials stole whatever they could. Reacting to the evidence about missing donations destined for flood victims, Sawat said the district chief, not he, had control over the relief supplies and donations. Although a donation box for flood victims was placed at a temple, only the district chief or his designated assistant had the key to open it and take away the money at the end of each day, Sawat said. He said he had no knowledge of how the district chief managed the funds on the victims' behalf. Villagers said donors had handed over large sums of cash and relief supplies to Sawat or one of the monks guarding the donation box. One monk, Phra Anuchit, had been expelled from the community after villagers discovered that he pocketed a bag of cash every day after finishing his guard duty. A village headman, Som Donmo, filed a police complaint reporting abbot Phra Manop Santijitto of embezzling donations destined for flood victims. Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun urged the public to donate funds for flood victims only through provincial offices and other official channels in order to preempt fraud. But they stealing of disaster relief assistance by corrupt officials and members of the country's economic and political elite, particularly contractors and their cornies, is normal and makes donating assistance to Thais a waste of time because of the large amounts that disappear. Flood warning A flash-flood warning was issued during the last week of August for areas around Phuphan mountain range in Kalasin, where heavy rain had been falling regularly for several weeks. Khomsan Phasiri, acting chief of the provincial weather office, said residents of Somdet, Kuchinarai and Khao Wong districts and Na Khu sub-district should stay alert. More than 170,000 rai of farmland had already been damaged by flood waters which poured through Muang and Yang Talat districts into Kamalasai and Rong Kham districts and Khong Chai Phatthana sub-district. Northeastern provinces hit hard as heavy rain falls again - Sandbags reinforce dyke, river level rises As of the end of August, several northeastern provinces remained inundated after heavy downpours, overflowing rivers and discharges from reservoirs. There is no sign of water receding in Udon Thani, Loei, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen. Some parts of other provinces were also suffering. In some areas after a downpour on August 29 the situation went from bad to worse. In Udon Thani, residents of Huay Luang were most affected, as some 600,000 cubic metres of water was released daily from the local reservoir to stop it from bursting. Overflow from the Mekong River flooded out residents along the riverbank in Loei's Wang Saphung, Muang and Chiang Khan districts. Evacuation to higher ground was underway. In Roi Et, the Chee river's level increased at an alarming rate, about one centimetre an hour, leaving Thung Khao Luang and Chiang Khwan districts flooded. Villagers needed fresh water, emergency supplies and boots to stop themselves contracting rat urine disease. Panic has set in at Chiang Khwan district's Baan Khui Khor where villagers feared that a flood dyke would burst. More than 3,000 sandbags and soil were used reinforce a dyke which was keeping dozens of villagers dry. Heavy rain has worsened flooding in Yasothon, raising the number of flooded districts from two to six. Fifty schools in three districts of Muang, Kham Khuen Kaeo and Maha Chana Chai were closed. Authorities at four reservoirs in Amnat Charoen were releasing water to keep it at safety levels, leaving 60 families under the reservoirs homeless. In Si Sa Ket waters began to recede, but locals were frightened by a possible outbreak of rat urine disease. Chronic flooding in several areas combined with rubbish swept by run-off has posed serious health concerns in this northeastern province. The power agency, meanwhile, gave assurances that water levels in northeastern dams were within safety levels. Samrueng Kerdkosum, director of power plants in the Northeast, said the agency was keeping a close watch on the Chee river to decide whether to increase the volume of release from Ubonrat dam in Khon Kaen. Ubonrat dam, whose water level was more than three metres above control level, was holding water to prevent the Northeast from worse flooding, he said.