Downtown Chiang Mai on alert for more flooding
Roads and neighbourhoods submerged on Thursday brace for another surge from Ping River as rain continues
Downtown Chiang Mai was on alert for more floods on Friday morning as rain continued to fall in Mueang District.
The city was flooded on Thursday afternoon after the Ping River burst its banks.
Floodwaters up to one metre deep have submerged Charoen Prathet and Chang Khlan roads and the Pa Phrao Nok community since Thursday.
Debris and branches caught under the Mengrai Bridge near Ratchawet Hospital exacerbated the flooding on Charoen Prathet Road. Officials have closed the road to traffic and deployed an excavator to remove obstacles blocking flow at the bridge.
Residents on the western side of Ping River have built sandbag barriers and monitored the flood situation overnight.
However, low-lying areas inundated by the Ping overflow included Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road, Rimping Supermarket, Kavila Barracks and the Wat Muang Kai community.
Water levels in the Ping River dropped to 4.80 metres as of 5am on Friday. However, surrounding communities remained submerged as the riverbank is just 4.20 metres high in some places, while rainfall is continuing.
