Thailand lacks accurate and geographically and locally specific data on areas vulnerable to severe flooding, hindering efforts to prepare for and mitigate the impact of disasters, according to experts.
Heavy rainfall has triggered flash floods and river overflows across several parts of northern Thailand, particularly in Nan province, where homes have been inundated and several roads rendered impassable.
Sirinon Suwanmolee, an independent researcher and former university lecturer specialising in disaster resilience, said that the lack of effective preparedness was partly due to insufficient localised information, which makes it difficult for authorities to assess flood risks and respond effectively.
“The solution is that every sub-district and district must have a plan to deal with the situation, but we only have a 'copy-paste’ [method] from the central government. We don't have specific plans on where the water will come from or how, because the central government wrote them,” Sirinon told Thai PBS World, shedding light on red-tape problems.
She said the heavy downpours were part of the new normal of natural disasters, with rarely seen phenomena like rain bombs and cloudbursts, both of which can cause sudden and precipitation.
According to the Thai Public Relations Department, at least 10,800 households had been affected and two people in Nan have died in the floods as of Wednesday evening. That number is, however, expected to rise after more than 380 millimetres of rain was recorded in just four hours in several districts of Nan last night.
Sirinon also urges authorities on the ground to bring in experts and meteorologists to develop immediate responses and prepare for possible scenarios.
Her view was echoed by Sitang Pilailar, an academic at Kasetsart University’s Department of Water Resources Engineering, who called for the establishment of a Forward Water Management Command Centre, a rapid-response task force that could be deployed to high-risk areas.
Sitang said such a centre would enable clear and direct communication among agencies.
“Assessing the situation from the central level to the regions through the mechanisms of relevant agencies may not be sufficient because, when a situation occurs, it is crucial that the information is available fast, so people can make decisions, and that they know who is giving the orders,” she said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Several ministers have been in Nan since last night to inspect the situation, while a single command centre has been set up to streamline operations and integrate information from all relevant agencies.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has also instructed all relevant agencies, in various fields, to come up with specific measures to help to deal with the catastrophe.
