Thailand/Vietnam: Landslide blocks railroad in Mae Tha/Quakes with underground explosions hit hydropower plant area in Quang Nam

09.09.12.

LAMPHUN, Sept 8 - Northbound train services were suspended on Saturday as forest runoff damaged a portion of railroad tracks in this province, while several northern and southern provinces were hit by floods triggered by heavy rains.

Continued heavy rains caused forest runoff in Lamphun's Mae Tha district. Torrential water eroded ground beneath tracks between Tha Chomphu station and Khun Tan station for 50 metres.

Train services to the northern provinces were forced to stop at Lampang. Passengers had to take buses or travel by car to further destinations north such as Chiang Mai and Lamphun.

It is expected to take three days to repair 50-metre damaged rail tracks.

In the lower northern province of Phichit, water from the Yom River spilled over its banks and flooded some 50 houses in Sam Ngam district. Villagers had to commute by boats due to one-metre deep floodwaters.

In the southern region, Ranong disaster response official Chaovalit Nithornrat said 250 households in five sub-districts were hit by floods from heavy rain between September 5-7. Eight roads and one bridge were also damaged by floodwater.

Mr Chaovalit said the province had to closely monitor the situation until Monday as the province's meteorological station warned that heavy rains will continue and can cause possible flash flood, forest runoff and landslides in the provincial seat, Kapoe, La-un and Suksamran districts.

Tourists were also advised to avoid visiting waterfalls in Ranong and refrain from all manner of trekking during this period, according to the disaster response official. (MCOT online news)
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04.09.12. A series of tremors along with underground explosions that were heard from above and caused walls to crack occurred yesterday in the area of the Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant in Quang Nam Province’s Bac Tra My District.

Experts at the plant are analyzing data collected from earthquake observation stations in the area but have yet to announce how powerful the quake was on the Richter scale, said Tran Van Hai, head of the Management Board of Hydropower Project 3.

The incident happened from 7 to 9 pm Monday at the Bac Tra My Town and several communes nearby, causing thousands of locals to rush out of their houses in panic after they heard loud blasts and found the ground shaken, houses’ walls cracked and things inside the houses falling.

Ho Van Loi, chairman of the Tra Doc commune People’s Committee said his house’s floor was shaken five times during last night, with the most powerful seismic intensity occurring at 9 pm.

Such quakes have taken place continuously in the past five days in Bac Tra My, but the one last night has been the strongest since the hydropower plant began storing water in its reservoir, Dang Phong, chairman of the District People’s Committee, said.

“Residents are very worried about their safety. We will report the situation at the meeting scheduled on September 4 between district authorities and the Ministry of Construction to discuss measures to prevent leakage at the plant’s dam,” Phong said.

As previously reported, residents in the downstream area of the hydropower plant have been living in fear after cracks and water leakage were found in the dam of the plant whose reservoir could contain 730 million cubic meters of water and is among the largest in central Vietnam.

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Another quake hits hydropower area, 9th in 3 days

08.09.12. The ninth tremor within three days occurred this morning in the area of the Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant in Quang Nam Province’s Bac Tra My District, shaking the ground and damaging houses.

The quake occurred at 7:15 am and was accompanied by underground explosions that could be heard from above ground.

Like in previous incidents, thousands of locals rushed out of their houses in panic after finding the ground shaken, houses’ walls cracked and things falling.

Yesterday evening, a different quake hit the district, prompting many people to leave the area. This quake could be felt by people living in districts nearby such as Nam Tra My, Tien Phuoc and Hiep Duc.

A team of experts who were examining the ongoing repair to the leakage at the plant’s dam yesterday surprisingly found a land subsidence at the foot of the dam, putting the facility’s safety at risk.

The subsided area, with tens of meters long and nearly 2 meters deep, had not been seen before that quake occurred, the team said.

On September 3 night, a tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale also struck in the area.

Local authorities said they would report the serious earthquake situation in the past days to concerned agencies and the provincial People’s Committee.

This morning the Quang Nam Province Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control sent a guidance document to authorities of 18 districts and cities in the province, providing them with knowledge of earthquakes and measures to cope with them.

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