Torrential rains provoked flooding in the Sukhothai area in Central Northern Thailand bringing back fears among Thai population of massive floods like in 2011. The government tries however to play down people’s fears.
BANGKOK- Pictures of the city centre of Sukhothai– a small town in Central Northern Thailand- being under water are bringing back bad memories to many Thais. It was almost a year ago that the Kingdom was confronted to the worst flooding of the last 50 years with its culminating point in November when waters reached the ancient capital of Ayutthaya and then Bangkok. It took over three weeks time for waters to recede and then to normalize the situation.
The government has since built up protection measures all across the country to avoid a similar scenario this year. Canals were dragged to avoid water stagnation, new canals created and protection walls as well as anti-flood walls created around industrial and agricultural estates. Flood prevention exercises were conducted last week in Bangkok to see if waters could be easily evacuated in case of massive rains.
Heavy rains in the North stopped for 72 hours train services from Lampang to Chiang Mai but service resumed on Monday after employees from the State Railways repaired damaged tracks caused by a landslide. In Sukhothai, also an ancient Thai capital-, Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, who heads the Water and Flood Management Commission, yesterday apologised to Sukhothai residents and explained that torrential rains increased water levels of the Yom River up to two meters high and that protection structures might have been eroded over the time as they are over ten years old. Floods occurred following a breach in flood walls. Sandbag dykes were built to protect the city while waters are expected to recede over the next few days.
The Minister indicated that downstream provinces would most probably not be affected. Newspapers indicated however that Ayutthaya provincial governor declared that six districts in the province had also been flooded including the city area. However, farmlands were so far not affected. Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said yesterday he was confident that flood prevention measures devised by the government would contain possible damages from expected heavy rains.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
