Landslides, flooding in provinces

Soldiers install a portable bridge across a washed out section of road in Chaiyaphum province on Wednesday. (Photo by Makkawan Wannakul)

Landslides damaged a house and a vehicle in Mae Samat district of Tak and a reservoir burst through its wall in Lop Buri, as a dozen provinces remained flooded on Wednesday following more torrential rain.

In Tak landslides were reported on several sections of the Mae Ramat-Ban Tak and Umphang-Mae Sot roads. A house and a vehicle were also struck by the falling dirt and rocks, and an unconfirmed number of people injured.

Heavy rain sent runoff pouring over sections of the Phahon Yothin Highway from Tak to Chiang Mai and Highway 12 from Tak to Sukhothai. The flooding started on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday. Households were also affected in Ban Phae village of Muang district, Tak.

In Lop Buri province, water in a reservoir in the campus of Kasetsart University in Khok Samrong district burst through the retaining bank in the morning. The reservoir was holding 600,000 cubic metres of water. About 320,000 cu/m of it flooded out over 200 rai of paddy fields where the rice was ready for harvest.

About 2,700 houses and 16,000 rai of farmland remained flooded in Sapphaya district of Chai Nat, downstream to the south of the Chao Phraya dam on the Chao Phraya River. Flood levels exceeded 1.80 metres in some areas.

In Chaiyaphum province, water overflowing from the Chi River was eroding a road between Muang and Ban Khwao and isolating about 1,000 families in five villages. Soldiers installed a portable steel bridge across a washed out section of road.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported at least 10 provinces faced flooding. They included Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Sawan, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Phetchabun, Phichit and Sing Buri.

Since Oct 10, flooding has caused the death of six people and affected about 197,000 people, the department said.

The pickup truck damaged by a landslide in Mae Ramat district of Tak province on Wednesday. (Photo by Assawin Pinitwong)

The ruptured reservoir in the Kasetsart University campus in Khok Samrong district. (Police photo)

The reservoir in Kasetsart University's campus in Lop Buri (supplied by police)