Phetchaburi town flooded as river overflows

Water from the rain swollen Phetchaburi River flows through downtown Phetchaburi on Wednesday morning. All roads in the town were flooded. (Photo by Chaiwat Satyaem)

PHETCHABURI -- The army has deployed hundreds of soldiers to help flood-hit residents in the Phetchaburi town while a district in Ratchaburi may be declared a flood disaster zone.

Military personnel are also working with city officials and the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation department to drain water and distribute supplies to residents.

The flooding, which inundated the whole of Phetchaburi, started at about 3am on Wednesday and followed several days of rain that filled Phetchaburi dam in Tha Yang district to capacity.

A strong current destroyed floodwalls in tambon Khlong Krachang and Tha Rarb, causing the water to rush into several main roads in Phetchaburi Municipality and other areas, with the water level being measured at 30-40 centimetres on Wednesday evening. In some areas, roadside shops and houses were inundated.

The flooding has affected at least 2,000 households in the city. The Salaloy-Na Morn housing estate in tambon Nong Sanoe was the hardest-hit neighbourhood, with floodwater rising to 1.5 metres and damaging 30 houses.

The Phetchaburi River overflowed in Muang, Ban Laem and Ban Lat districts.

About 300 soldiers from the 11th Military Circle and the 11th Infantry Regiment, King's Guard were repairing ruined floodwalls and building others with sand bags.

A video of two men in Phetchaburi town taking a motor-driven long-tail boat along a flooded main road and overtaking cars has gone viral on Thai social media.

Dam officials have begun releasing water at 200 cubic metres per second into irrigation canals and the river downstream.

The Mae Prachan and Huay Fak reservoirs were also reported to be full, and water was being discharged at 150 cubic metres and 80 cubic metres per second respectively.

All schools in Phetchaburi Municipality are closed. All government offices are flooded, including the provincial court, city hall, a military camp of the 11th Infantry Division and the district office.

People were being evacuated to higher ground with their belongings.

The flood also sent hundreds of monkeys living around Khao Wang fleeing to safety on higher ground.

In Ratchaburi, residents in parts of Chom Bung district are facing the worst flooding in 10 years after five days of heavy rain.

Somchai sae Ton, head of Moo 11 village in tambon Dan Tago, where floodwater was more than two metres high, said he had asked the province to declare Chom Bung a disaster area.

He said 11 families were not able to move their belongings in time as the flood current came quickly and the water level rose until it inundated half of their homes.

Rescue workers on Wednesday evacuated the families by boat to a temporary shelter.