Farmers in Surat Thani province are experiencing major losses due to this year's flooding. Oil palm and rubber plantations, as well as shrimp farms in Kanchanadit district, have been swamped. Hundreds of households are underwater.
For over a week, residents in the area have been forced to commute by boat or on high-clearance vehicles.
A villager told a reporter that the floodwater is much higher than usual. Even though, in fact, the water is at a similar depth as in 2011, more people are suffering this year. Additionally, high tides are slowing the drainage of floodwater.
In Phunphin district, it has been four days since the floods began in the downstream areas of the Tapi and Phum Duang rivers. It is being estimated that it could take at least 15 days for all the floodwater to drain away.
Heavy rainfall in Surat Thani province, from December 14-18, has caused the flooding of roads, plantations and residences in 17 districts. As many as 50,000 households are affected, eight people have died, two people have been injured and one person is missing.
