Heavy flooding in lower North
A woman at Bang Rakam in Phitsanulok sits on the balcony of her flooded house. Officials say the Yom River could stay high for weeks.
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Many provinces in the lower North close to the Yom River have been hit by heavy floods since the river began rising over the weekend.
An elderly woman drowned in Phichit's Pho Thale district while fishing and more than 100 households in Muang district were under 1.5 metres of water yesterday. A large number of people living in 58 villages in five other districts have been affected or displaced. In Phitsanulok, water is being drained out to the Nan River, which feeds into the Chao Phya Dam in neighbouring Chai Nat. But irrigation officials warned that floodwater could lie stagnant in Bang Rakam, the lowest-lying district, for another three months. More than 10,000 rai of farmland in tambon Chumsaeng Songkhram in Bang Rakam district was inundated while many roads became impassable. In Sukhothai, the flooding affected 10,000 people and inundated 50,000 rai of farmland in four districts. The water level exceeded the critical level in Sri Samrong district and does not look likely to recede in the coming days. Cattle breeders have called on livestock authorities to provide fresh grass and straw for animals, which are reportedly starving. Hundreds of cows and buffaloes have been kept on public roads away from the floodwaters, with breeders sleeping with them on the roadside at night to stop thieves stealing any of their herd.
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