2 ministers show up to oversee flood alleviation measures in line with PM Srettha’s orders

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow and his delegation arrived at Tambon Mae Pu in Lampang’s Mae Prik district on Sunday morning. He was accompanied by Lampang Red Cross Society president Suphannee Chayabutr and Mae Prik district chief Kontree Piyawut.

Thamanat’s delegation first visited Tambon Mae Pu Municipality to be briefed on the situation before the minister personally visited residents of Moo 3 village to hand out necessities.

Lampang in the North of Thailand has been pounded by heavy rain from Wednesday to Saturday, which not only brought flash floods but also saw the river break its banks inundating 144 villages in eight districts.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin was in Sukhothai on Sunday morning to monitor the flood situation and to ensure the provincial governor provided immediate help to the victims.

Somsak was received by the governor at the provincial hall where he was told that the Yom River was close to breaking its banks and may flood residential areas nearby on Monday. Runoffs from the upstream Phrae province are also expected to hit the area.

After the briefing, Somsak and his delegation visited the Ban Puen railway station in Phrae’s Long district to observe the flood situation before returning to Sukhothai at 4pm to meet provincial officials at Sawankhalok district’s meeting hall.

The Yom River, meanwhile, burst its banks and inundated the Ban Wang Hin village in Pak Kwae sub-district in Muang district and the area was still underwater on Sunday morning.

Wang Chin district chief Parnsorn Pamornkhon said on Sunday that the Yom River had started overflowing to flood communities along the river banks, but the floods were still not very high.

The district chief said Phrae governor Chutidej Meechan had ordered local officials to monitor the flood situation round the clock.

At 9am, water from the Yom River was flowing past Wang Chin district at the rate of 1,330 cubic metres per second, Parnsorn added.

Meanwhile, Suttipong Juljarern, Interior permanent secretary, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul have instructed provincial authorities to collaborate and speed up help for flood victims in their respective areas.

Suttipong said provincial governors nationwide have been instructed to coordinate with their deputies, permanent secretaries of provincial administrations and district chiefs to assemble teams to help victims before the flooding worsens.

Village and tambon chiefs have also been instructed to assemble teams of volunteers to monitor against possible flash flooding, Suttipong added.

In Tak, local residents said the Wang River had burst its banks, flooding villages along the river banks in Sam Ngao and Ban Tak districts.