Fears grow for Thai ‘Angkor Wat’ as floods rise in Phimai
The historical town of Phimai is being threatened by floods as waters rise in the Northeast’s Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Thailand’s most important ancient Khmer temple complex lies just downstream from the Phimai dam, which is preparing to release more water into the already overflowing Mun River.
Water overflowing from the Mun in recent days has flooded two Phimai subdistricts. More than 100 rai of farmland in Rang Ka Yai and Tha Luang is now under 50-60 centimetres of water. Locals are now bracing for the flooding to spread as the dam releases more water to ease pressure from weeks of heavy rain.
Residents are scrambling to defend the businesses in the town and also protect the Phimai Historical Park, a Unesco world heritage site that marks the end of the ancient Khmer highway from Angkor in modern-day Cambodia. The thousand-year-old historical park is also an important tourism site, attracting hordes of Thai and foreign visitors who boost the local economy.