Pathum thanI, NonthaburI hit badly

Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi are heavily submerged after flood water raged through the Prapa canal and water levels continue to rise. After days of struggling with flood prevention supported by 4.5-metre flood barriers, Bang Kadee Industrial Estate in Pathum Thani has been submerged, with damage to all 47 factories estimated at Bt30 billion.
Panic reigned at Rangsit market, which is under a metre of flood water, and most vendors and residents who did not expect it are also evacuating. Flood water is spilling over the Chulalongkorn floodgate in addition to a huge influx travelling southwards through the Prapa canal.
With help from the military, the Bang Kadee estate was completely evacuated from dawn to noon yesterday, but many workers were stranded due to a shortage of shelters.
A deputy mayor of Rangsit municipality, Decha Klinkusum, described the situation as most critical, and blamed the collapse of a section of the sandbag wall for the situation. A number of local residents also sabotaged sandbag walls around the market and a key road.
Two major malls – Future Park Rangsit and Major Cineplex – have been closed for three days while Chulalongkorn watergate police station is also flooded.
A key junction – the Phaholyothin Road section south of the Rangsit canal – has been blocked for small vehicles following flooding, prompting heavy congestion, while tollway entrances have been closed because many cars have been parked on the elevated road.
Rangsit-Chiang Rak trains have been suspended due to flooding and an extra shorter-distance service is available. All 18 north-bound long-distance trains are suspended while all 12 northeast-bound trains can travel using bypass routes to Chachoengsao, said the government Flood Relief Operations Centre citing a State Railway of Thailand statement. All commuters must board the trains at Hua Lamphong terminal in Bangkok.
Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi said it could accommodate another 500 flood evacuees on top of the 500 now residing there. Abbot Phra Phayom said there were enough flood and relief supplies for all 1,000 evacuees. He called on the government to cope better with the flood situation next year.
Pathum Thani Hospital remains open despite 90cm flood water surrounding it, servicing both in-patients and providing seven mobile medical teams to treat residents and patients at nearby shelters. The provincial public health office said there were 293,378 residents in 382 villages in seven districts affected by flooding.
There are nearly 12,000 evacuees living in 49 shelters set up in the province, including large-scale sites that can house more than 200 evacuees.
Calls for emergency medical help can be made at 1669 or (02) 598 8745, said Dr Theerachai Khong-iamtrakool, the office’s head.