Cabinet to approve relief fund for 120,000 households hit by prolonged flooding

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered that financial compensation for flood victims be distributed as quickly as possible to ease public hardship, according to Paradorn Prisanananthakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, on Sunday (9 November).

Paradorn said that the Cabinet has already approved relief payments for more than 600,000 households, totalling over 6 billion baht. 

Additional compensation is now being considered for families whose homes have remained flooded for 30, 60, or 90 consecutive days across 17 provinces: Chachoengsao, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Sawan, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Saraburi, Sing Buri, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Ang Thong, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, and Ubon Ratchathani.

The new relief plan will cover 124,430 households, with a total budget of 463.87 million baht. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will manage the funds and disburse payments through partner banks to affected residents.

Paradorn added that the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) has reported ongoing coordination of major dam water management, ensuring that all discharges are conducted carefully and in harmony across basins.

He noted that releases from Bhumibol Dam will not raise peak water levels at Chao Phraya Dam, while Sirikit Dam still has ample storage capacity to accommodate runoff from northern regions.

The minister reaffirmed that water management and compensation efforts remain a top government priority to support communities still recovering from extensive flooding.