Thailand Hit by Massive Floods by Phairath Khampha 30 September 2002 Run-off from Phu Luang, Phu Rua and Phu Kradeung mountains inundated all 12 districts and two sub-districts of Loei province, cutting off power and water as well as road access to the outside world. Official reports said there were no human casualties but a local source said an unidentified woman was badly bitten by one of eight crocodiles that escaped from a farm in Muang district. The source said the farm owner paid her 5,000 baht compensation. The flood hitting Loei was said to be the worst in 24 years. Such increased flooding is usually caused by illegal forestry practices by greedy members of the country's economic and political elite, supported by their extremely corrupt government official cohorts. The flooding that devastated areas of the North and Northeast had resulted from the uncontrolled and improperly planned transformation of agricultural and forested land into residential and industrial estates, said Chukiat Sappaisarn of Kasetsart University's faculty of water resource engineering. All in all, most of the country was devastated by the flooding. By the end of September the central and the upper southern parts of the country came under threat of flooding, with several dams overflowing and sending large volumes of water downstream. New water resources management agency sought An expert on water resources management wants a central body to co-ordinate land management and ensure sustainability of natural resources. The flooding that devastated areas of the North and Northeast had resulted from the uncontrolled and improperly planned transformation of agricultural and forested land into residential and industrial estates, said Chukiat Sappaisarn of Kasetsart University's faculty of water resource engineering. Despite the existence of 38 government departments under nine ministries and seven national committees on water management, no agency had taken the lead in ensuring a sustainable water supply. Mr Chukiat said a central body should be set up to manage water resources and map out flood-prevention measures. Rainwater from the three big mountains poured into the Pong, San and Loei rivers which burst their banks, flooding several thousand communities and vast areas of farmland. Seventy-five percent of Loei municipality was about one metre under water. About 4,000 families were left in the dark and drinking water was scarce. All roads linking Loei with neighbouring provinces, including Khon Kaen and Phetchabun, were impassable. Loei governor Pairat Pojthanachai said the flood affected nearly 50,000 people in 10,150 families, destroyed 120 roads and nine bridges and forced more than 30 schools to shut down. More than 40 boats were sent to the province with drinking water and other relief supplies. In Tak Province, a forestry official at Mae Teun wildlife sanctuary in Mae Ramat district was killed on on September 4, 2002 when his car was swept off a road by raging floodwater into a nearby stream. Rescuers found the body of Kitti Khongchalermrat and his car in Huay Samae Yai stream the following day. Besides Mae Ramat, the districts of Muang, Sam Ngao and Mae Sot were hit by rain-triggered floods which affected 17,900 families and damaged 72,000 rai (1 rai = 1,600 m2) of farmland. Tak governor Theeraboon Pobukhadee estimated the damage at 42 million baht. Mae Hong Son provincial governor Poj Uthana, meanwhile, denied a news report that as many as 80 Karen refugees were killed by a massive flash flood caused by illegal logging activities in Mae Sariang district on September 3, and that a large number of bodies were found floating in the Salween river. An army helicopter flew over the river for about 40 kilometres but did not spot a single floating body, he said. The official death toll at Camp 9 in Ban Mae Kong Kha-Ban Mae Sala, which houses more than 10,000 Karen refugees who had fled fighting in Burma since 1995, stood at 16, Mr Poj said. Ten Karen refugees were injured in the flood devastation, one of them seriously. Authorities were searching for the 20 missing Karen people, the governor said. Corrections Department chief Siva Saengmanee said on September 5 that 55 inmates at Phetchabun prison were moved to another prison in Lom Sak district as floodwater was still rising in the Phetchabun municipality. The Lom Sak district office also had to move 70 families to higher ground as the Lom Sak river rose rapidly. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said the ministry had sent 10,000 medical kits to Phetchabun, 30 teams of doctors and health personnel to Loei, and a medical team to Mae Sariang district. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said a medium-sized reservoir might be needed to store water from the Yom river which, in the past years, had flooded several provinces including Sukhothai and Phitsanulok. Evacuation hampered by shortage of boats Residents of Loei and Phitsanulok provinces suffered the worst of the country's flooding on September 6, with water levels in some areas as deep as 10 metres, officials said. In Loei, more than 4,000 households along the Loei River were underwater, and all major roads leading to and from the province were cut off for a second day. Officials said flood levels in Chiang Khan district, abutting the Loei and Mekong rivers and the lowest area in the province, ranged between eight and 10 metres deep. The floods have inundated more than 200 houses in the district, while some homes were swept clean away. In other districts, such as Muang and Wangsapung, average flood levels were between two and four metres deep, officials said. The Provincial Electricity Authority was forced to cut the local power supply, with only the province's disaster relief centres, the city hall and the provincial administration council, still receiving electricity. A local irrigation officer on the same day issued residents of 20 villages below Nam Man Dam in Loei with evacuation orders when water breached the dam. However, the officer insisted the dam would not break. Officials said evacuation attempts in the province were hampered by a shortage of boats. Local authorities had borrowed a boat from the firm Italian-Thai Development Plc., but it could hold only about 30 people at a time. The Paw Tek Tung Foundation had agreed to lend the province another 22 boats, but its arrival was delayed In the meantime, residents have become alarmed that the flood waters might enable crocodiles in Muang district's two crocodile farms to escape from their ponds. Some sightings of crocodiles were reported, but operators of both farms insisted there have been no cases of missing reptiles. This is even after a woman was injured by a crocodile. In Phitsanulok, several districts were still inundated on September 6, with 2,000 households badly affected. Flash floods swept through major inter-provincial highways, preventing traffic from moving between northern and northeastern provinces. More than 200 troopers and police officers in the province were mobilised to assist flood victims. Officials estimated the flooding in three days alone caused damage totalling more than 100 million baht (). In Kamphaengphet, the threat of a major flood loomed as torrential rains continued for the fifth consecutive day, and the water level in the Ping River rose one metre per hour, officials said. Irrigation officials reported they would be forced to drain some of the water from the reservoir at the Bhumibol Dam, because the water volume had risen beyond its capacity. Provincial governors can not flee flood mess--told to cancel trips aborad, help victims instead With floods still wreaking havoc in many areas, Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun barred often selfish, corrupt provincial governors from going abroad. Mr Purachai told the provincial leaders not to go abroad during this time but to stand by and help flood victims. The interior minister had instructed agencies to prepare for post-flood diseases and arrange agricultural assistance once floodwater had receded. A report by the Civil Defence Office showed that 51 provinces--16 in the North, 19 in the Northeast, 11 in the Central and East regions and five in the South--were hit by floods between August 1 and September 8. Floodwater in 13 provinces had started receding the day after. The floods claimed 38 lives and caused damage of about 334.8 million baht to more than two million rai of farmland and 124 temples, schools and government offices. Many schools also had to be closed after the flooding. * In Yasothon Probince, heavy downpours on Sunday night and runoff from Kalasin, Roi Et and Mukdahan kept flowing into the Yang and Chi streams. Floodwater partly damaged the dyke at Ban Kood Kong in Muang district, and inundated rice fields and about 20 fish ponds. * In Roi Et Province, the collapse of a dyke in Selaphum district caused water to flood farmland, roads and houses in more than 10 villages. * In Nong Bua Lamphu, forest runoff from Phuphan Range flowed to Huay Lao Yang reservoir, overflowed and flooded Hua Dua, Don Chi and Ban Nua communities yesterday morning. * In Nong Khai Province, continuing rain caused sudden floods in Pho Tak subdistrict. * In Tha Bo district, villagers were moved to higher ground over fears that a dyke could collapse. * In Ubon Ratchathani Province, the situation became worse on September 8 due to runoff from the upper Northeast and continuing heavy downpours. * In outer districts, almost 70,000 rai of farmland and 257 fish ponds were inundated and 24 roads were damaged. * In Chiang Rai Province, heavy rain continued on September 8, causing widespread flooding. * In Chiang Dao, the hard-hit areas were Tambon Chiang Dao municipality and Tambon Mae Na. * In Sukhothai Province, preparations were under way for the evacuation of villagers from tambon Ban Khluai's Moo 1. The local bus terminal was closed. * In Ayutthaya Province, officials met urgently to discuss how to prevent flooding to historical zones amid fears that water from the Pa Sak river would flow to the Chao Phraya river in two days. Spread of disease threatens villagers - water-borne illnesses rife in many provinces Flood victims in many provinces fell ill with water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, and rat urine disease posed an increasing threat. The widespread flooding in the northern, northeastern, and central provinces bred diseases. Many villagers contracted foot disease from prolonged exposure to water. In Yasothon, floods isolated many villages, and public health clinics were seeing more than 100 patients a day for treatment of water-borne illnesses. Veerapan Supanchaimart, director of Roi Et Hospital, said mobile medical units were treating villagers in remote areas. Most suffered from diarrhoea and foot disease and there was an increasing risk of outbreaks of leptospirosis, the rat urine disease. Floods in Roi Et were extensive and the situation worsned as the Chee river continued to rise. A total of 390 houses and over 5,000 rai of rice fields were under water. A shortage of clean water and and lack of toilets in people's homes was also a pressing problem. Most people in that province do not have toilets and in Thai style simply defecate on the ground whenever the urge to do so strikes. Hence, the floodwaters were distributing the faecal material all over the countryside and infecting people. Residents in Sukhothai, Phichit, and Phitsanulok, who rely on the Yom river for their livelihood, ran short of drinking water, after river water turned murky from runoff and massive amounts of septic filth. In Ubon Ratchathani, Thorntham Shinakomut, a relief worker, said the Mun river, the main waterway artery of the Northeast, was rising steadily with continued rain and water released from dams. One person drowned after his raft, a modified oil barrel, capsized. Overflowing water had submerged parts of Muang and Warin Chamrap districts, sending residents fleeing with their belongings to higher ground. They set up makeshift shacks along the Ubon Ratchathani-Warin Chamrap highway. Some lost their fish ponds in the floods. Border police helped flood victims evacuate, using flat-bottom boats. Yasothon MPs were seeking a motion in the House to request a fund to dredge the Chee river under a long-term flood prevention project. Not that that would do much on the long term, butthe flooding was a great pretext for an expensive dredging contract from which the corrupt politicians and government officials could steal. In the Central region, runoff from rivers in the North had reached Ayutthaya, inundating many districts where the Pasak river cuts through. Surachet Chaikosol, chairman of the provincial administration organisation, said floods were particularly heavy in Tha Rua and Nakhon Luang districts. Measures were in place to keep industrial estates and highly-populated communities out of flood reach. Deputy Finance Minister Varathep Rattanakorn said flood-affected farmers indebted to the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives who had not subscribed to the farmer debt moratorium programme would be given a reprieve on repayments in 2002. The government said it would give aid in the aftermath of the floods. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the government was prepared to handle floods in the lower central provinces, particularly Bangkok. He had told authorities to siphon water from the Pak Sak and Chao Phraya dams to reduce the likelihood of overflows when the sea tide peaked. Overflowing dams increase flooding threat downstream The central and the upper southern parts of the country came under threat of flooding, with several dams overflowing and sending large volumes of water downstream. Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun said danger zones included river banks, areas outside flood-prevention walls, low-lying areas and some housing estates. Residents should protect themselves and their property by building flood barricades, Mr Purachai said. "The state can't help you all. You now have to help yourselves," the minister said. Mr Purachai said southern provinces from Prachuap Khiri Khan downwards should brace for high ocean tides. Chao Phraya dam in Chainat had overflowed and water discharges as of the end of September had increased to 2,900 m3/s from 2,000 m3/s. Pong Khandee, from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, said Ubonrat dam in Khon Kaen had 2.66 billion m3/s of water, which exceeded the reservoir's capacity. The dam was discharging 47 million m3 daily downstream. He said water levels in other dams in the Northeast, including Nam Pung and Sirindhorn, now reached 86%-94% of capacity. The Bangkok administration admitted on September 27 flooding was possible in Bangkok in areas located outside the flood walls built around the city. If the Irrigation Department could not divert water into the sea at Klong Dan fast enough, farm land in Bangkok's Nong Chok, Minburi, and Lat Krabang districts could be inundated by runoff from the north and rainwater, said Somsak Klanpot, the city's deputy drainage chief. The Chao Phraya began to overflow its banks on September 25 in Bangkok Noi and Bang Sue districts, where the flood walls were yet to be completed. Without the flood walls built along the banks of the Chao Phraya, several more areas of Bangkok would have been inundated, Mr Somsak said. The Irrigation Department was reportedly running its pumps at full capacity--16 million m3 daily--to divert water into the sea via canals in and around the capital. Rama VI and Chao Phraya dams were reportedly discharging water at 3,650 m3/s , almost twice the normal rate. Anant Ji-nga, of the Flood Control System centre, assured that any flooding in the inner city and along major roads would not last longer than a couple of hours. Pracha Songkhro and Asoke roads were flooded by heavy rain during the last few days of September . A psychiatrist, meanwhile, said severe floods were affecting the mental health of flood victims and relief workers. Sriwanna Poonsappasit, deputy chief of the Mental Health Department, said about 600 people had sought treatment after suffering from headaches, insomnia, stress, depression, anxiety and fear. Fourteen were in a critical condition and had to be sent to mental hospitals. The Civil Disaster Prevention Office said the floods had affected two million people in 60 provinces, killing 85 people and causing damage worth 1.39 billion baht (US$1 = 42 baht). Up until the end of September the floods continued as one after another, large tropical depressions and storms passed over the north and northeastern regions of the country.