Heavy rains have battered Thailand’s West, North and Northeast over the past few weeks, causing dams to fill up early in the annual wet season, threatening to flood downstream areas.
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD)
said that from today until Thursday, “a monsoonal trough will lie across
the upper North and upper Northeast while the southwest monsoon will
strengthen across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Outbreaks of
more rain, as well as isolated heavy downpours will be expected.”
Meanwhile heavy rains are causing problems a lot further South, with
residents in low-lying parts of Phetchaburi province being warned to
brace for flash floods with the local Kaeng Krachan dam expected to
reach maximum capacity on Sunday.
Heavy rainfall has hit Phetchaburi and nearby provinces over recent days
causing huge amounts of water to flow into the dam. The dam was
reported to be at 97 per cent capacity as of Saturday evening with water
starting to flow into the spillways, threatening downstream villages.
Further south, the TMD is warning of strong winds and two to four-metre
high waves in the Andaman Sea and two to three-metre high waves in the
upper Gulf of Thailand.
“Ships should proceed with caution, and small boats should stay ashore.
People along the coast of the western South and the East should beware
of strong winds,” the TMD warned.
The forecast says that scattered to fairly widespread thundershowers
with isolated heavy rain will persist until Friday. From Phuket
northwards, there will be southwesterly winds of between 20 to 45
kilometres per hour, waves two to four metres high and above four metres
high in areas getting thundershowers.
People in western provinces urged to move to
higher ground as more water to be released from reservoirs.
MANY dams in the western region are
rapidly filling up due to heavy downpours, with the situation at Kaeng
Krachan Dam being of the greatest concern.
The reservoir was expected to reach maximum capacity last night.
Source - TheNation
