Flood erodes riverbank and Pongphan dyke
FLOODWATER has eaten away the riverbank next to the controversial Mae Pongphan Pattana dyke in Chiang Mai province, making it unable to hold water despite the fact it was only built a week ago.
Photos of the eroded riverbank circulated on social media yesterday, showing that water from the stream had created a hole about a metre wide.
Mae Pongphan is the wife of Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Preecha Chan-o-cha. She has been in the public eye since leading a group of senior military officers’ wives on a charity trip to help villagers in Tambon Mae Ka in Chiang Mai’s Fang district to build the dyke, with a budget reported as Bt7,800.
But with heavy rain falling in the area over the past few days, the stream could no longer hold the increasing amount of floodwater, which ate into the riverbank, Kamnan Akawin Wanda of Tambon Mae Ka confirmed yesterday. The dyke itself was not damaged, he said, adding that villagers would close the hole so the dyke could become functional again.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan expressed no concern yesterday over a move for an investigation into contracts between a nephew of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Army, saying it would not affect the premier.
“The PM has worked so hard in the past and what he has done has benefited the country. We, the government, intentionally work for the people,” he said.
The Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution on Thursday lodged a petition with the National Anti-Corruption Commission against Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Preecha Chan-o-cha and other officials over alleged irregularities in the awarding of concessions to a company belonging to his son Pathompol.
Pathompol’s Contemporary Construction Ltd Partnership won bids for 11 construction projects from the Third Army Area, Water Resources Regional Office 9 in Phitsanulok and Tambon Administration Organisation (TAO) in the same province.
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