Flood alert issued as rising Mekong River floods Chiang Khan villages

The Mekong River’s level at the Chiang Khan hydrological station in Loei province rose by another 68 centimetres reaching 16.29 metres on Friday morning, which is 29cm above critical level.

The river, which borders Thailand and Laos, has broken its banks and flooded several villages in the three subdistricts of Loei’s Chiang Khan district, namely Bu Hom, Pak Tom, and Chiang Khan, provincial governor Chaipoj Charoonpong said.

He added that the Mekong could rise further on Saturday if the river has surpassed its critical level and may rise further if Mekong tributaries in Laos continue to increase water volume some 13 hours to reach Loei, he added.

Chaipoj went on to say that officials have visited riverside communities in Chiang Khan and advised locals to move their belongings to higher places as well as prepare for emergency evacuation in the next few days.

A Chiang Khan villager told The Nation that though the Mekong had already risen to a critical level, he believes that flooding this year will not be as bad as the one in 1972.

The great flood 52 years ago is considered to be Chiang Khan’s worst flood yet, with waters chest-high in the city’s downtown area.

Seri Suprathit, vice president of the National Disaster Warning Council, said on Friday that the MRC (Mekong River Commission) believes the river will be at its highest in Nong Khai province on Monday (September 16) and flood several areas immediately to the west of Loei.

In an interview on the Nation TV’s Morning News show, Seri, who serves as an expert at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), showed his “flood map” of Nong Khai. The map highlighted areas that could be flooded by the overflowing Mekong in the next few days.

He advised residents in the dark blue areas to prepare for flash floods on Sunday and Monday, adding that Nong Khai is the most vulnerable as it is the lowest-lying province along the Mekong River.