Thailand: Floods inundate a quarter of Thailand's provinces, Thailand flooding again.

[Khan]

Sep 23, 2013

(Reuters) - More than 600,000 Thais have been affected by flooding since July and more than a quarter of Thailand's provinces have been inundated, prompting officials to issue landslide warnings and begin evacuation measures on Monday.

Devastating floods in 2011 killed more than 800 people and caused massive disruption to industry, cutting economic growth that year to just 0.1 percent.

Four people have been killed in this year's flooding. More rainfall is expected later this week.

"Due to a heavier-than-usual monsoon season, 21 provinces are now experiencing flooding. We have issued a warning about landslides and have told boats in the Gulf of Thailand to be vigilant," Chatchai Promlert, chief of Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, told Reuters.

Parts of Ayutthaya province north of the capital, Bangkok, have been deluged by up to a metre of water, he said. Ayutthaya town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where several ancient temples were badly damaged in the 2011 floods.

Many huge industrial estates in Ayutthaya and other provinces on a plain north of Bangkok were inundated in 2011.

At least 10 provinces in Thailand's central plains, the main rice-growing region, have been affected by the floods but the extent of any damage is not yet known.

The flooding has hit in harvest season and output is likely to be affected, but there has been no official comment yet.

Plodprasop Suraswadi, a deputy prime minister, said he was confident there would not be a repeat of the 2011 floods, which at one stage threatened to engulf Bangkok.

"Water levels in our dams are low enough to handle any extra rainfall," Plodprasop said.

Municipal authorities have ordered sandbags stacked around shops and homes and extra water pumps have been installed in many areas.

In Prachin Buri province, 135 km (85 miles) east of Bangkok, more than 700 inmates from a prison were evacuated on Sunday and transferred to other facilities nearby after their cells were flooded.

The national disaster department said it was offering assistance to residents in flood-affected areas, including the provision of life-jackets and boats. Those living in low-lying areas have been advised to move to higher ground.

Source

 -----------------------------------------------

Thailand is buckling & being pushed down resulting in flooding, Thailand will lose 40 feet in elevation by the completion of the ongoing 7 of 10 plate movements  

-------------------------------------------------

ZetaTalk

If the loss of 40 feet in elevation is not devastating to the Philippines, it is to the coastline of southern Burma, Tailand, and Cambodia, which have vast areas that will suddenly and permanently be flooded.

http://www.zetatalk.com/info/tinfx341.htm

 

ZetaTalk

Where Bangkok is certainly low land, so low in elevation that it would be under water with a mere 10 foot rise in sea level, there are many regions in SE Asia just as low who are not experiencing flooding. If Thailand's flooding were due to rain from a tropical depression, then why are all the neighboring countries with a similar elevation not flooded too? Vietnam south of Ho Chi Minh is far more vulnerable, and for a broader area, yet is not in such distress. Note the mountainous regions to the east and west of the valley in central Thailand. We have mentioned that when a plate tilts, rising one side and sinking on the other, that this plate may bend where the plate is thin. This is happening to some degree in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Australia, where the bending plate causes an uneven rise there beneath the buoys. It is also true that thin places on a plate can give rise to buckling when that plate is under compression, being squeezed. The tongue holding Indonesia is certainly under such a squeeze. As the tongue is pushed together, the eastern portion pushed toward the west, the valley in central Thailand is buckling, being pushed down. Simultaneously, a new seemingly volcanic island appeared between eastern Java and Bali, where the tongue is under pressure as it is being pushed down under the curve of the Indo-Australian Plate. Where this is causing extensive volcanic activity in Sumatra and Java, it is also finding weak places in the plate holding Indonesia, which can buckle in such a manner as to rise. The new island is indeed volcanic in origin, having been formed years ago under the sea, but is no longer an active volcano. Thus, rising land, due to buckling, is the only explanation. The squeeze is acting like an accordion, as it comes together. Some parts rise, some parts fall during the compression.

http://www.zetatalk.com/ning/13no2010.htm

[Kojima]

Rising waters rival previous flood, raising Sa Kaeo fears [Bangkok Post; 8 October, 2013]

Sa Kaeo remained cut off by widespread floods Monday, raising fears the deluge could be worse than the massive flooding in the province in 2011.

Flood victims in Aranyaprathet municipality in Sa Kaeo squeeze into a truck shuttling residents through the flooded community. (Photos by Thiti Wannamontha)

In Muang district, Highway 359 (Aranyaprathet-Kao Hinson) and a 1-kilometre section of Highway 33 (Kabin Buri-Sa Kaeo) were under 50cm of water. The routes were impassible to motorists.

In Aranyaprathet municipality, Promhod canal burst its banks, turning the normally bustling border town into a swamp, with floodwaters reaching 1.5m deep in some areas.

The flooding has stoked fears among locals that this year's floods could be more critical than those of 2011, when a three-day deluge in Aranyaprathet caused economic losses of more than 100 million baht.

Combined forces of rescue workers, police and soldiers in the district are helping residents.

The overflowing Promhod canal also flooded Cambodia's Poipet town opposite Aranyaprathet.

Authorities are now worried the massive volume of water could pour into Khlong Luek, which could aggravate the flooding in the Rong Kluea border market in Aranyaprathet.

The floods that have submerged the market since Sunday subsided to about 10cm Monday.

Meanwhile, flooding in Prachin Buri has worsened.

Massive volumes of floodwater from Sa Kaeo brought more floods to Kabin Buri district with a key market in tambon Kabin submerged under 1.3m of water.

The water level in Ban Sang and Si Maha Phot districts was also reported to be more than 1m deep.

The rising water level also forced the State Railway of Thailand to suspend rail services between Aranyaprathet and Wattananakorn stations.

In Chanthaburi's Pong Nam Ron district, a 48-year-old man was swept away by strong currents which submerged a bridge in tambon Khlong Yai. Arthit Pangket's body was retrieved later from the water.

Several outlying areas of the province were still affected by forest runoff.

Heavy rains also triggered floods in the western part of the country.

In Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district, forest runoff increased the Phachee waterway level, damaging two bridges and swamping a riverside property.

Provincial rescue workers had to be sent in to help residents of more than 30 households trapped in Ban Thung Kula in tambon Tranaosri.

Kanchanaburi governor Chaiwat Limwattana said the rising level of the Phachee waterway is threatening low-lying areas in Dan Makham Tia and Muang districts.

He also warned locals to move their belongings to higher ground and ordered all district chiefs to go on standby to supervise flood relief operations around the clock.

In Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district, the flood in the municipality area has eased as authorities drained water into the sea.

Pongnaret, Hua Na and Kao Takiab villages, however, were still under 50-70cm of water.

In the western part of the district, runoff from the Tranaosri mountain range cut off Huay Sat Yai village, which prompted authorities to close the Pa La-u waterfall for the sake of tourist safety.

Floods were also reported in Sam Roi Yot district.

More than 1,000 households have been hit by floods in Hua Hin and Sam Roi Yot districts.

In the Central Plains, surging water levels in the Chao Phraya River swamped tambon Ban Krachang of Pathum Thani's Muang district, affecting more than 300 homes.

Tambon Ban Krachang administrative organisation chief Winai Nateprarit said heavy rain over three days and the accelerated release of water from the Pasak Cholasid dam have raised the level of the Chao Phraya River.

In Sam Khok district, communities near Wat Thai Ko Yai in tambon Bang Krabue have been flooded for seven days with water reaching up to 50cm deep.

In Nonthaburi municipality, the Chao Phraya River overflowed its banks and flooded riverside communities near the Thanam Non area.

Local administrators had to raise the flood wall made with sandbags from 2.3m up to 2.7m in an effort to guard against further flooding in the area.

In Bangkok, the high tide in the Chao Phraya River flooded a community near Bavorn Mongkol jetty in Charan Sanitwong Soi 46 of Bang Phlat district Monday.

According to the head of the local community, floods affected houses behind Bavorn Mongkol police station, which are unprotected by flood barriers.

The floodwater also penetrated the flood wall by way of sewers and cracked concrete roads in front of the station.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Drainage and Sewerage Department has been asked to provide more sandbags and water pumps to drain water from the area.

A scene in Aranyaprathet, near the Cambodian border, on Monday. Flooding also is reported in Cambodia and other neighbouring countries.

[Kojima]

Runoff ravages Rayong as TMD warns of more to come [Bangkok Post; 6 October, 2013]

Runoff from the Khao Chamao mountains has inundated more than 100 homes in Rayong's Klaeng district after heavy rainfall on Friday night. 

UP THE CREEK: Locals in Ubon Ratchathani's Warin Chamrap district travel by boat Saturday along a main road. The area has been flooded since the Moon River burst its banks two weeks ago. (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha) 

The affected houses were all located in tambon Thung Khwai Kin. 

Water levels in the tambon rose to between 1m and 1.5m yesterday, cutting off roads leading to the four villages. 

Thung Khwai Kin Tambon Municipality clerk's office chief Phuangphayom Phengphan said she had ordered staff to assist those affected by the flooding. 

Ms Phuangphayom said children and the elderly would be given priority for food and water. 

Four boats and a truck were sent out to assist the operation. 

"These areas were the hardest hit by floods in the past three years. If rains stop in the next two to three days, the flood waters will recede," Ms Phuangphayom said. 

Residents are unlikely to be given any reprieve, as the Meteorological Department (TMD) yesterday issued a severe weather warning for people in eight provinces in the East and South. 

It warns of flash floods in Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon today and tomorrow. 

Heavy rains also lashed parts of the neighbouring province of Chanthaburi on Friday night. 

Sombat Jungtrakul, deputy chairman of the Thai-Cambodian Border Trade Association, said heavy rains flooded the two Thai-Cambodian permanent checkpoints at tambon Thepnimit in Pong Nam Ron district and tambon Thungkhanan in Soi Dao district. 

Mr Sombat said Thai traders had been unable to transport goods to Cambodia. 

Many roads and areas in Pattaya have also been underwater since Friday night. Deputy Pattaya mayor Weerawat Khakhai said his staff had set up 20 pumping machines to drain water from inundated roads and communities

In Chon Buri's Si Racha district, rain has continued since Friday night, causing floods in many housing and factory areas. 

Meanwhile, South Pasak Water Project chief Boonchob Homgaysorn, warned those living near the lower Pasak River in Tha Rua, Nakhon Luang and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya districts of Ayutthaya to brace for possible flooding. He said Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri had exceeded its capacity and will soon accelerate its release of water. 

[Kojima]

Floods strike Chachoengsao area [Bangkok Post; 4 October, 2013]

Officials insist Bangkok will not be inundated 

CHACHOENGSAO - People along the Bang Pakong River in this province next door to Bangkok are feeling the effects of rising water levels from neighbouring Prachin Buri. 

Workers erect alarge sandbagembankment to defend downtown Ayutthaya against flood waters from the swelling PasakRiver. Theprovince, already affected by flooding inmanyareas, is bracing for more runoff from the North. PATTANAPONG HIRANARD

The Bang Pakong River was overflowing Thursday and flooding villages close to the river's banks. 

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said in its latest update yesterday that Chachoengsao is one of 24 provinces that are flooded. 

Relief officials said Chachoengsao is taking in water from Prachin Buri _ mainly Kabin Buri and Si Maha Phot districts _ where the situation is improving. 

Water from the Prachin Buri River and runoff from Khao Yai National Park, which had hit Kabin Buri and later Si Maha Phot, is now flowing downstream to Ban Sang, Prachantakham and Muang districts of Prachin Buri.

It is also causing rising water levels in some districts of Chachoengsao bordering Prachin Buri, including Bang Khla. 

Water in Prachin Buri is being drained into the Prachin Buri and Bang Pakong rivers. 

Fifty-one flood victims in tambon Ban Hoi of Prachin Buri's Prachantakham district fell ill with food poisoning yesterday after eating donated box food. They were taken to nearby hospitals. 

Adul Nakbunbutr, who lives in village 4 close to the Bang Pakong River in Bang Khla district in Chachoengsao, said the water is rising rapidly and was up to 50cm deep in some areas yesterday morning. 

The rising water forced some people to move their belongings to the second floor of their houses, he said. 

The Meteorological Department warned of more rain in central provinces including Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri and Bangkok tomorrow. 

Kanisorn Chopanya, an official at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office in Prachin Buri, said flooding in Prachantakham and Muang districts remained a major cause for concern. Almost two million people in 24 provinces were affected by the floods, which had claimed 27 lives, according to the department. 

In the Central Plains, heavy rains yesterday hit Ayutthaya province, causing flooding in several ancient sites and in temples along the Chao Phraya River. 

Maitree Pititanon, director of the Ayutthaya Irrigation Project, said water from the North was being diverted to four kaem ling (monkey cheek) retention areas to prevent extensive flooding in Muang Ayutthaya district. The monkey cheek areas are Thung Bang Ban 1, Thung Bang Ban 2, Thung Phak Hai and Thung Maha Rat. 

[Kojima]

Dam release Threatens Ayutthaya, Saraburi [Bangkok Post; 3 October, 2013]

The Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri needs to release a large quantity of water which will result in flooding in downstream Saraburi and Ayutthaya provinces. 

Cars plough through floods on Suwannasorn Road in Prachin Buri despite signs warning motorists about the flood hazard. (Photo by Pattanapong Hiranard) 

 

[Andrey Eroshin]

15.09.13. Giant rock collapse on Ko Sukon island, Thailand

http://www.manager.co.th/South/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9560000116818

[Khan]

Cambodia: At least 25 people in Cambodia have died so far because of a fast-rising floods affecting the northwest provinces.

Sep 25, 2013

 

The death toll from recent flooding continued to rise yesterday, with meteorology officials voicing concerns that floods in some parts of the country could rival the catastrophic ones of 1996, which claimed almost 170 lives and affected more than a million Cambodians nationwide.

At least 25 people in Cambodia have died so far because of a fast-rising floods affecting the northwest provinces, the Ministry of Water and Meteorology said yesterday.

Three provinces still face increasing water levels, which could reach disastrous proportions.

“We predict the flooding in three provinces – Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham – this year might be the same as the situation in 1996,” National Committee for Disaster Management chief Keo Vy said.

Severe flooding in 1996 caused the deaths of 169 people, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. A report by the Asian Disaster Reduction Center details the 1996 waters affecting 1.3 million Cambodians in 13 provinces, damaging 600,000 hectares of crops and destroying 50,000 homes.

The current flooding, brought on by heavy rains and dams opened in Thailand and Vietnam, has caused the Mekong River to break its banks and surge beyond normal levels, affecting at least seven provinces.

With water stations in the three hardest hit provinces recording a 10-year high – 12 metres in Stung Treng, 16 metres in Kampong Cham and 23 metres in Kratie – the river has met and surpassed the serious flood alert level of 12 metres.

The flood has forced thousands of families to leave their homes for higher ground.

Duon Pov, director of Stung Treng Provincial Hall, said more than 100 families have been evacuated from Stung Treng town and the surrounding areas in Thala Barivat commune. Kim Sarouen, director of agriculture in Kampong Cham, said that the flood had hit five districts, destroying 2,629 hectares of rice farms.

“Outside, residents are dead and infrastructure is destroyed. We are worrying that their farmland will be completely destroyed, which affects their way of living and ability to support themselves,” he said.

Source

[Khan]

Flood alert (Updated)

Sep 24, 2013

Update: Khlong Rangsit overflows.

All of a sudden this year's flood season seems much more serious as waters rise near the industrial estates devastated by the 2011 floods.

Severe flooding has also occurred in provinces near Cambodia.

Source