51 in hospitals after eating free food

UP TO 51 flood victims in Prachin Buri have ended up in hospital after consuming food handed over as aid yesterday.
Of them, five were in a bad state and still being treated at hospital as of press time.
“The victims either began vomiting or got diarrhoea after eating the food that was handed out to them at a flood-relief centre in tambon Ban Hoi,” Prachin Buri public-health chief Dr Nopporn Pongpleumpitichai said.
The flood-relief centre in Prachantakham district’s tambon Ban Hoi was set up after strong currents of water broke down an earthen ridge in nearby Kabin Buri district and inundated the area.
Chachoengsao Governor Anukul Tangkananukulchai said the water current from Prachin Buri was so strong that many areas in his province were also flooded. Floods in Chachoengsao’s Phanom Sarakham district are already a metre high.
Anukul said that though the floods were an inconvenience for many, some locals had decided to make the most of things and decided to start having fun splashing around.
“Even vendors showed up to sell things to those out playing,” he said, adding that some villagers also began fishing in the floodwaters.
According to Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department Chatchai Phromlert, flooding has now hit 24 provinces.
Since September 17, floods have ravaged more than 2.16 million rai of farmland and upset the lives of more than 2.87 million people. Over the same period, the flood-related death toll has risen to 27.
Floods have also damaged 4,947 roads, 201 bridges and 518 levees over the past few weeks.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has instructed provincial governors to survey affected properties and farmland, and deliver assistance to victims. She is also insisting that all infrastructure damage be fixed immediately after the floods subside.
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, meanwhile, assured residents that city officials were prepared to deal with floods, though he reckoned that some parts of the capital might end up getting flooded in the event of non-stop downpours.
“Slow down for safety when you drive on flooded roads,” he advised.

Meanwhile, the Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri, which is only about 150 kilometres from Bangkok, is close to brimming over. It is currently about 96 per cent full and the Royal Irrigation Department has started releasing about 600 cubic metres of water per second from the dam.
People living along the Pasak River in Saraburi and Ayutthaya have been warned to closely monitor its water levels.
“The water will rise,” the department warned.