Overflowing Mekong, relentless rains inundate Nong Khai’s business district

Floodwaters from the Mekong River have inundated the heart of the economic district of Nong Khai province, while continuous rainfall has added to the rising water levels.

Several agencies have mobilised resources to provide assistance, including the provincial livestock department, which helped relocate over 100 cows to safety.

The flood situation in Nong Khai on Saturday continued to worsen as the water levels at the Mekong River kept rising. 

At 9am, the hydrology station in Nong Khai measured the river level at 13.67 metres, an increase of 57 centimetres from the previous day (September 13), and 1.47 metres above the embankment. The accumulated rainfall was recorded at 156.5 millimetres, and the trend is expected to continue until September 16.

The province has received continuous heavy rains since the middle of the previous night and through the morning on Saturday. The sky remained covered with rain clouds, while the Mekong River overflowed into Nong Khai City, flooding major roads, including Rim Khong Road, Meechai Road, and Prajak Sinlapakom Road, the province’s central business district. 

The water level reached nearly a metre high, forcing residents and shop owners to use sandbags to protect their properties and move their belongings to higher ground. Vehicles were parked along the Nong Khai-Phon Phisai flood embankment, but those that could not be moved were submerged up to the wheels.

Rescue workers deployed flat-bottom boats to assist affected residents. It was reported that staff from Nongkhai Ruamphat Medical Tourism went out to purchase supplies for colleagues, patients and some relatives who were unable to leave the hospital. Patients in stable condition were allowed to return home.

Additionally, soldiers have been working around the clock, placing sandbags around homes in Wiang Khuk village, Mueang district, as the rapid and forceful river currents continue to rise, with some areas already submerged under nearly 2 metres of water. They have also helped residents move their belongings to safer locations throughout the night.

The Nong Khai Provincial Livestock Department successfully relocated 102 cows stranded on Don Tam Island in the middle of the Mekong River. Assistance was also provided to chicken farmers, as flood waters threatened to overtake their farms, forcing the evacuation of chickens and other livestock to safety. 

Furthermore, authorities in Tha Bo district have been evacuating bedridden patients from flooded areas.