Non-stop rain swamps Nakhon Phanom in worst flood in decades
The Nation 2011-08-12
Nakhon Phanom is another province in the Northeast hit by flooding, the worst in 30 years according to the provincial relief office, after days of heavy rain.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will begin a two-day trek tomorrow in the lower North, which has been hit hardest by flooding, to inspect the situation.
About 1,500 villages in all 12 districts in Nakhon Phanom have been under water, with two villagers drowned and 261,000 people in 63,522 households affected. About 234,000 rai (37,440 hectares) of farmland have been inundated and 1,166 fish farms flooded, with damage estimates reaching Bt30 million.
Relief office chief Jureerat Thep-art said half the flooded farmland would be a total loss, while the crops in the other half would die if water did not recede in 15 days. More than 3,400 survival kits have been given to affected villagers and 52,000 sets of dried grass to owners of cattle.
During Yingluck's visit, she will stop in Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan, said Cabinet secretary-general Amphon Kittiam-phon, adding that a government committee would be set up to handle integrated water and flood management.
A request for an emergency budget will be made to the Finance Ministry.
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