The only partial opening of five of the six downstream sluice gates on the Ping River and garbage mounting up in front of the gates have been blamed for the slow discharge of water from the swollen river and the subsequent flooding of areas of Chiang Mai province.
Residents of Doi Lor district told Thai PBS reporters that five sluice gates are not functioning properly, as they only be opened 40%, resulting in the slow discharge of water.
Kuakul Manasamphansakul, chief of Chiang Mai’s irrigation project, admitted that only one of the six sluice gates is functioning properly, while the five others can only be partially opened, because the slings connected to the gates are broken.
He also said that garbage, which includes tree trunks and branches washed into the Ping River by flash floods, cannot be collected yet due to the strong currents.
The water level in the Ping River continues to fall, from its record high of 5.3m, measured at the Nawarat Bridge on last Saturday, to 3.89m at 9am today.
Many vendors in downtown Chiang Mai have resumed business today, but vegetables are in short supply and prices have gone up.
Traffic has not fully returned to normal, as some roads still remain closed, including Charoen Muang Road which remains impassable.
Municipal officials are working as hard as possible to provide food and drinking water to flood victims.
