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Published on October 19, 2007

The Royal Irrigation Depart-ment (RID) and related agencies were trying to control flood damage by measures such as lower-water releases from dams.

Meanwhile, following a video conference with provincial governors yesterday, Surayud said 15 out of 16 provinces that had been flooded  had seen the water recede.

The Cabinet meeting would cover budgeting to assist flood victims and measures to tackle floods, he said. The Agriculture, Transport, Labour and Public Health ministries had been instructed to provide initial assistance to the affected in the meantime.

Residents in some areas outside flood barriers would be evacuated to safer grounds, he said adding the government would hold further discussions with the city before the arrival of massive northern run-offs.

In a meantime, the north-eastern province of Buri Ram declared nine districts as disaster zones, as 8,000 rai of farmland and 41 roads were hit by floods. Officials said the damage was initially estimated at more than Bt1 million.

In Ubon Ratchathani, the water level in the Chi River had risen about 6-10 centimetres a day, while nearly 10,000 rai of rice fields in Khuang Nai district had been flooded for five days. The situation was expected to return to normal in November.

In Yasothon, riverside villages were hit by one metre of floodwater from the swollen Chi River and some areas were cut off.

In the central province of Nonthaburi, Governor Cherd-wit Ritthiprasat yesterday declared seven tambons in Pak Kred district as disaster zones to get ready for northern flood runoffs that would soon hit the areas.

Permanent secretary for Public Health Prat Boonyavong-virot reported there were 1,478 villages in 14 provinces affected by flooding from October 8 to 17 and 14,009 people received treatment, mostly for flu, athlete's foot and stress.

The Chao Phya River in Angthong yesterday rose to the 7.25-metre level, well beyond the critical point of six metres and low-lying areas including Pa Mok Municipality were flooded.

Earlier on Wednesday night, 300 houses in the district's Tambon Phong Pheng were under 2.5 metres of water, forcing residents to use flat bottom boats as the only means of transportation.

In Sing Buri's In Buri district that had been hit by floods since Wednesday, the floodwater yesterday extended to many more communities, prompting dozens of families to set up makeshift shelters on the roadside.

However rains continued in the South especially Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Na-khon Si Thammarat, Phat-talung and Songkhla while sailors in the gulf of Thailand were advised to be cautious of gusts and high waves.

The Nation