Dam water floods Pattani, situation to persist for five days
Key econonic areas in Pattani province came to a standstill after water released from the Bang Lang Dam in Yala, inundated low-lying areas.
Vehicles struggled to move while the authorities deployed a large water pump to accelerate the drainage of water into Pattani River, which is close to overflowing the bank.
Mahama-Piskree Wamae, director of Disaster Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Regional Centre 12 Songkhla, which oversees the flood situation in four provinces -- Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani -- revealed on Sunday that the flood situation in Songkhla, Yala and Narathiwat provinces had already been resolved. The flooding, however, persists in some lowland areas.
However, Pattani needs to be vigilant as the Bang Lang Dam had to accelerate the discharge of water, causing flooding in seven districts, namely Muang Pattani, Mae Lan, Saiburi, Nong Chik, Kapo, Mai Kaen and Yarang. A total of 16 subdistricts, 101 villages, and nearly 10,000 people were affected. He expects the water level to rise further and it will take about five days for the situation to return to normal. The flooding has been caused by the heaviest rainfall in seven years, the director said.