Run-off from flood-stricken Northeast heads for Mekong
The Bangkok Post
Run-off from heavily flooded northeastern provinces is heading towards the Mekong River which borders Ubon Ratchathani, causing havoc along the way.
As Ubon Ratchathani prepares to deal with the approaching deluge, parts of Maha Sarakham and Surin along the Chi and Mun rivers have begun to suffer from the overflow.
These two main rivers of the Northeast meet the Mekong in Khong Chiam district of Ubon Ratchathani.
Water released from the Ubolratana Dam in Khon Kaen as well as that flowing from Chaiyaphum has caused flooding in areas along the Chi River in Maha Sarakham where more than 24,000 rai of farmland has been inundated.
In Surin, where 14 districts have been hit by flooding, the overflow from the Mun River has aggravated the situation in at least three of the affected districts.
The water level in low-lying areas by the river banks was 1.2 metres yesterday.
The provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office warned the floods in three districts - Tha Tum, Chumphon Buri and Rattanaburi - would become more critical in the next day or two.
Ubon Ratchathani governor Surapol Saiphan said at least 2,400 people living in Muang and Warin Chamrap districts had been evacuated from their homes due to overflow from the Mun River.
The water in the Chi River in the province was expected to break its banks in five to six days, he said.
The provincial administration was diverting as much water as possible from the Chi and Mun rivers to areas designated for water retention.
If run-off from Nakhon Ratchasima reached Ubon Ratchathani on Friday or Saturday and another deluge from the Chi River arrived on Tuesday or Wednesday, floods there could get far worse, the Royal Irrigation Department said. In the Central Plains region, the flooding in Lop Buri remained critical yesterday. The flood waters in the province have been high for 10 days.
The floods in Uthai Thani’s Muang district, which has been inundated for three days, surged by 30 to 50 centimetres on Tuesday night.
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