Flooding in the business hub of Hat Yai city, in Songkhla province, which had started to ease over the weekend, has worsened again, as additional heavy runoffs from Sadao district have been flowing into the area since yesterday.
The runoffs from the border district surged into Hat Yai on Sunday, pushing water levels higher after days of continuous rainfall.
Hat Yai Municipality issued another warning yesterday, saying that water levels were rising again as northern runoffs pass through the Na Khuan floodgate.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that, although the floodwaters had begun to recede in several neighborhoods, fresh runoffs from Sadao had hampered drainage.
People in Hat Yai city park their vehicles on a bridge as the city has been submerged under water for days.
“Hat Yai’s R.1 drainage canal to the sea is working at full capacity. Authorities must also prepare for the possibility of impacts spreading further into the three southern border provinces as floodwater moves downstream,” he said.
Sadao district chief Kritchanat Polrat said that, over the weekend, six sub-districts, covering 37 villages and 15 communities, were declared disaster zones. Floodwater has risen to cover several key roads, obstructing traffic and isolating some communities.
The runoff from upland areas of Sadao into Hat Yai has worsened the flooding along the route, including in Ban Khlong Ngae and Ban Muang Kong, where residents have been living in floodwater for days.
Residents posted messages in their villages’ Line groups, asking for food and other necessities. Over the weekend many appealed for boats to help with evacuation.
Some residents have been forced onto the roofs of their houses and described the situation as the worst they have ever experienced. Flooding has been so severe that even homes built on higher ground are now submerged.
In Trang province, more than 1,000 homes in Yan Ta Khao municipality are inundated, after runoffs from the Bantad Mountains flooded the area on Saturday.
Water levels have since receded in many areas, including along the Phetkasem Road near the main market, where small vehicles are now able to pass.
Some low-lying communities along the river remain under up to two meters of water.
The municipality has set up field kitchens to distribute food to affected residents. Of Trang’s nine flooded districts, four have officially been declared emergency disaster zones, while damage assessment continues in the remaining five.
Narathiwat province experienced continuous heavy rain and three districts, Bajoe, Muang Narathiwat and Yi-ngo, have been declared disaster zones.
Elderly residents, young children and bedridden patients have been evacuated to temporary shelters, with military assistance. Rangae and Tak Bai districts have also begun reporting increasing impacts, with flash floods and canal overflows. If rain continues, authorities expect flooding to spread.
