Ban Pan Market in Ayutthaya’s Sena district is now virtually a floating market after being flooded for nearly a month.

Among the people affected by flooding, those living along rivers face the worst hardship. It has become part of their lives every year during the wet season.

It is especially so for those living in Ayutthaya province, where the Chao Phya River can turn into their worst nightmare when it bursts its banks and seriously disrupts their lives.

Sangwien Srithong, 75, now lives on the second floor of her home in Bang Bal district, which is now under 50cm water, after the first floor became completely inundated a month ago.

Sangwien said she had no choice but to urinate into floodwater from her house and defecate elsewhere, also into floodwater, by rowing a boat to get there.

She said the flood levels would remain the same for about another month.

Without any meteorological knowledge, the grandmother knows well enough that heavy flooding like this comes every four or eight years. She said it was part of her life and had not thought about leaving - despite her children's insistence.

She said the flooding was as bad as 1995, although official records show that this year it is even worse - with around 5,300 cubic metres of water travelling through the province compared to 4,800 cubic metres 11 years ago.

It is hot during the day because she is confined in an area close to the roof. Sangwien cools herself by rinsing her face and neck with floodwater, as there is no other way to get clean water during the flooding.

Brick-maker Prajuab Treekua said his family was now down some Bt20,000 from the only job he could do. He said the flooding effected him emotionally and financially but he had no choice but to cope with the stress.

Prajuab, 51, said he needed to wait for another three months after the water recedes before starting work again and that he and his family now lived on savings.

He said he did not have the Bt500,000 needed for a new house, or for raising the ground level of his home to be above floodwater levels.

Somphong Wayuheud, 64, said she lost her husband to the notorious floods in 1995 and said she was sick and tired of being confined to her home with two dogs. She grew stressed watching floodwater levels increase when the tide was high.

But Somphong said she could cope with it and was not thinking of moving, even though her grown-up children had tried to convince her. "If I prepare myself mentally, it should still be fine for me to stay here," she said.

Manop Kosolwatthana, head of a division charged with overseeing water drainage operations on the west bank of the Chao Phya, said people were categorised into three groups according to the location of their homes under a standardised list of priorities.

The most vulnerable to flooding were those with homes located by major rivers or natural water resources, while those who lived outside flood embankment walls or flood prevention designated rings faced less of a burden - although they were still prone to floods, Manop said.

The most privileged people were those living in urban areas or the so-called "economically-vital areas".

They lived in well-protected areas where only minimal damage was allowed to be inflicted on them, he said.

Anan Paengnoy

The Nation