Bangkok Post
August 14, 2012

Northeastern provinces have stepped up flood surveillance and preparedness after the water level in the Mekong River rose sharply due to heavy rainfall over recent days.

Nakhon Phanom Meteorological Centre yesterday issued a flood warning to residents, especially those living along the banks of the Mekong River and its tributaries, after the water level in the river rose to 10 metres, nearing its crisis level of 13 metres.

The repeated rainfall over the past four days was triggered by a low pressure ridge covering Laos and Vietnam and the southwest monsoon.

If the water level reaches its crisis point, farmland and residential areas along Mekong tributaries would be at risk of flooding because the water would not be able to flow into the Mekong River, Nakhon Phanom governor Anukul Tangkananukulchai said.

Some farmland on the banks of the Songkhram River has already been inundated, he said.

However, the governor added, the situation should not be as critical as last year because major dams in the northeast still have additional capacity to take on water.

The Royal Irrigation Department said major dams in the Northeast stand at 25-49% of capacity.

In Nakhon Ratchasima province, workers and heavy machines were mobilised to clean up waterways which connect to Lam Phra Ploeng reservoir in Pak Thong Chai district in case the reservoir needs to release water.

The province was hit by a major flood in 2010 with slow water drainage caused by clogged waterways partly to blame.

The water level of the Lam Phra Ploeng reservoir was at 19% of storage capacity yesterday, while other dams and reservoirs in the province had an average storage level of about 36%.

The Disaster Mitigation and Prevention Department yesterday reported that flooding in Mae Hong Son, Tak, Phayao, and Nan provinces had eased. Disaster relief teams had been sent to clean up villages and repair damaged roads and bridges.

Mae Hong Son governor Narumon Palwat conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in the tourist district of Pai and found some roads and waterways had been cut off by rocks and mud brought down from the mountain by torrential rains. A southwest monsoon triggered torrential rains that soaked the northern provinces, including Mae Hong Son, between Aug 9 and 12.

In Tak province, authorities found a building at Mae Kun Sam Tha school had subsided after the flooding. Students will study at a shelter at a nearby temple until repairs are complete.

Original source