Published on December 12, 2005

The weather bureau warned residents in six southern provinces yesterday to brace themselves for another round of flash flooding as more heavy downpours were expected to hit the region this week. Heavy rainfall has been forecast for Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat between today and Friday.

Many areas of these southern provinces were already grappling with high levels of floodwater after being lashed by storms last week.

In Sungai Kolok, Tak Bai, Waeng and Rusoh districts of Narathiwat, floodwater levels ranged between 60 centimetres and 150 centimetres.

In the province’s nine other districts, floodwater had risen to between 20 and 30 centimetres.

Severe flooding prompted the evacuation of more than 7,000 families in the province.

In Yala, floods damaged 66 roads and 282 fish farms last week. Just as floodwater levels were subsiding over the weekend, the new warning was sounded.

Yala Governor Boonyasit Suwannarat said the floods had hit five districts in the province: Muang, Bannang Sata, Raman, Yaha and Krong Pinang.

The flooding has also been linked to a wave of conjunctivitis infections. More than 900 people were reported to have contracted the eye disease in recent days.

In Pak Phayun district of Phatthalung, the floodwater level was reported at 60 centimetres. “We are on full alert as we have to prepare for more heavy downpours as well,” said Amnuay Jantararat, the provincial chief of disaster prevention and mitigation.

In Pattani, many areas in Muang, Nong Chik, Kapho and Yarang districts remained flooded.

In Songkhla, the floodwater ranged between 30 and 50 centimetres in many areas. However, the province’s Hat Yai commercial district remained unaffected and was still attracting an uninterrupted flow of tourists from Malaysia.

“It’s a peak period for tourism during this long weekend,” Songchai Mungprasittichai, head of the Professional Tourist Guides Association in Songkhla, said.

Somchart Pimthanapoorn-porn, head of the Hat Yai–Songkhla Hotel Operators Association, said most tourists expressed confidence in the district’s flood-prevention measures. “We expect even brisker trade during the New Year period,” he said.

The regional weather bureau also warned small trawlers yesterday against putting out to sea, saying waves were between two and three metres high.

Meanwhile, Surat Thani internal-trade chief Arun Maithip said commodity prices on Koh Samui had risen by 5 per cent because of the rising petrol prices and transportation costs. “These are not an opportunistic price rises [in commodities],” he stressed.

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