Thailand: Two million hit by floods in South

The Nation/Asia News Network Asia One 3 Apr 11;

THAILAND - Out of the 39 flood deaths confirmed yesterday, 17 were in Nakhon Si Thammarat, nine in Surat Thani, seven in Krabi and two each in Phatthalung, Chumphon and Trang.

The department said a total of 558,308 households or 1,959,897 people, were severely affected by floods and mudslides, while 17 houses were totally destroyed and 848 houses were partially damaged. As for the public infrastructure, 2,520 roads, 218 drainage pipes, 46 dikes, 236 bridges, 320 temples and schools as well as 76 state offices were damaged.

The Highway Department reported that as of Friday evening, 24 roads were impassable to vehicles and the Nakhon Si Thammarat airport remained closed due to heavy flooding. Southbound train services from the capital stop at Surat Thani's Tha Chana station, while ferry services in the province have resumed as normal. The Provincial Electricity Authority said 473,262 out of 539,295 affected power users had now received power supplies as normal while the rest remained in the dark due to heavy flooding, impassable roads and fallen power poles.

While 917,739 rai of farmland were damaged, it was reported that, among them, less than 50,000 rai of rubber plantation were damaged. A total of 51,705 livestock farmers with some 2.6 million farm animals and 10,816 fishery people with 10,042 ponds and 1,373 floating baskets were affected.

Meanwhile, National Flood Relief Coordination Centre deputy director Vittayen Muttamara said the areas to watch out for landslides were: Nakhon Si Thammarat's Ron Phibun, Lan Saka, Chulabhorn and Thung Song districts; Phatthalung's Pa Phayom; Trang's Na Yong and Surat Thani's Ban Na San and Kanchanadit districts.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, where at least four helicopters were on standby for evacuation, some 400 marooned residents of tambon Krung Ching in Nopphitam district were evacuated by helicopter yesterday, while food supplies and electricity generators were sent to help those who remained in Nopphitam. Hundreds of villagers there were in need of evacuation as a one-kilometre-long crack was found in the Ban Khao Lek mountainous area, posing a threat of landslide. The body of a 12-year-old girl, Saowalak Waroros, who was swept away in Nopphitam on Thursday, was found in Tha Sala district yesterday afternoon.

In Sichon district, where 50 landslide spots were reported, two helicopters were also dispatched to evacuate some at-risk residents and one helicopter also transported the dead body of tambon Ban Khao Noi resident Eiumporn Sangwong, who was killed in a flood on March 25 for a funeral at tambon Theparat.

In Surat Thani, although rains in some areas had stopped, many parts, especially all roads, were flooded. There was shortage of drinking water and fresh food.

A tour bus carrying 35 passengers overturned while braving through high flood waters yesterday in tambon Khlong Noi of Muang Surat Thani district but no deaths or serious injuries were reported. The body of village headman Channa Mai-in, who went missing in flood waters since March 28 in Chaiya district's tambon Pak Mak was found yesterday.

As the Chaiya-Phunphin road was impassable for all vehicles, causing heavy traffic jams for three consecutive days, motorists heading to Bangkok or the South shifted to the Phetchkasem 4 Highway (Chumphon-Ranong-Takua Pa) instead, despite it being a detour of several hundreds of kilometres.

In Krabi, the Friday evening flash flood and landslide from Phanom Benja Mountain, which hit Chong Mai Dam Ville of Ao Luek district's tambon Khlong Hin and totally damaged four houses and partially damaged seven houses there, prompted officials to evacuate 700 at-risk residents to a safer place yesterday. While the death toll of Phanom district's tambon Na Khao landslide was yesterday confirmed to be six deaths and five missing persons.

In Chumphon's Sawi district, a house in tambon Khao Khai was totally destroyed by falling large rocks but no deaths of injuries were reported, Sawi district chief Chanchai Kulmongkol said yesterday. But authorities evacuated some 20 at-risk people to a safer place.

Meanwhile, Tourism Authority of Thailand's Trang Office said the past week flooding had caused a 70-80 per cent drop of tourists and room bookings. Losses were estimated at about Bt2 million per day.

-The Nation/Asia News Network