Flash-flood warnings issued for 8 Mekong River provinces as downpours continue
Residents of eight northern and upper northeastern provinces have been warned to prepare for flash flooding as the Mekong River has already overflowed its banks in some districts and its levels could continue to rise until next Tuesday due to heavy rains.
The lower Mekong basin and Lao’s Bolikhamsai province have received a higher than usual accumulation of rain, leaving little room for overflows, the National Water Command Centre warned on Wednesday evening.
It told residents of Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani provinces who live near the banks of the Mekong River to prepare for flooding from August 10 to 15.
Provincial governors are urging residents of some villages to prepare to evacuate to higher ground.
On Thursday the water level of Mekong River in Nong Khai’s Muang district reached 11.35 metres, the highest level so far this year, the provincial Hydrological Survey Centre reported. The water level has been rising at a rate of three to five centimetres per hour since yesterday, the centre warned.
More than 1,000 rai of plantation land in lowland areas of Nong Khai’s Tha Bo district has already been inundated after the Mekong River overflowed its banks, provincial officials said.
Seven water gates have been shut to prevent the flood from entering central Nong Khai city and pumps have been deployed in flood-prone areas, officials said.
The city is located on the southern bank of the Mekong River, opposite Vientiane in Laos.
The Mekong River has risen to 10.9 metres in Nakhon Phanom province’s Muang district, just 1.6 metres below the critical level. The province’s governor, Wanchai Chanporn, has ordered officials in four districts adjacent to the river to monitor water levels around the clock and assist those affected by flooding.
Residents of the four districts – Ban Phaeng, Tha Uthen, Muang, and That Phanom – have been told to move their belongings and livestock to higher ground. Rescue and military officers are on standby to provide emergency evacuation if flash floods occur.
Bueng Kan Governor Narucha Kosacivilize said on Thursday that the Mekong River’s water level had risen by 80cm since Wednesday to 11.5 metres – the highest level in three years and dangerously close to the critical level of 12 metres.
It has been raining for 16 consecutive days in Bueng Kan, which hinders drainage in case of flash floods that could damage 20,000 rai of paddy fields.
