Mae Sot hit by floods as Moei bursts it banks

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Mae Sot hit by floods as Moei bursts it banks

MAE SOT: -- Vendors in Tak's Mae Sot district were forced to suspend business on Friday when the Moei River burst its banks following days of heavy rain.
 
About 100 border patrol police and rescuers rushed to the scene to help evacuate the vendors from the flooding, which was about 50 centimetres deep.
 
About 300 shops operate along the bank of the river, which demarcates the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
 
A rescue centre was set up to help affected residents in Tambon Thasailuad area.
 
The floods also reached downtown Mae Sot after water overflowed the spillway of a reservoir. Police had to divert vehicles from Rachakarn Rassadorn Damri 2 and roads around Mae Sot's district office, which were under 70 cm of water.
 
Mae Sot Municipality has been declared an emergency zone following torrential rains over the past month, which have caused reservoirs and rivers to overflow.
 
Water in Mae Sot reservoir, located in Tambon Pra That Pha Daeng, overflowed on to the spillway and increased the level of water in creeks, triggering floods in the municipality around 10am.
 
The municipality office has issued a flood warning for local people to evacuate and move their personal belonging to higher places.
 
Meanwhile in Chiang Mai province, Tassanai Buranapakorn, mayor of Chiang Mai Municipality, had inspected 10 flood barriers along Mae Ping river after heavy rain in the area over the past two weeks.
 
Last year, more than 800 cubic metres of water per second flowed pass Chiang Mai Municipality but the capacity of Mae Ping River was able to handle only 500 cubic metres of water per second.
 
The authorities were not able to increase the river's capacity due to construction blocking the flow. There were also no water retention areas in the municipality.
 
"We hope that these 10 barriers will prevent Chiang Mai City from flooding this year," Tassanai added.
 
However, he said Pa Prao Nok community is at risk of flooding as it is in a low-lying area. The municipality could not finish the barrier construction in time for this year's rainy season and will therefore build a temporary dyke and install water pumps to drain water from this area.
 
Meanwhile, Thai Meteorological Department reported that the northern and northeastern provinces of Thailand can expect heavy rain during next two days. Light rain showers are forecast for Bangkok and nearby provinces


 -- The Nation 2012-08-10