Ayutthaya residents brave floods to make merit at end of rains retreat
Ayutthaya residents braved floods and took boats to make merit at a temple for the end of the rains retreat (Wan Auk Phansa) on Monday.
Flooding from the nearby Chao Phraya River has left Wat Ban Phat in Bang Pa-in district under 1.50 metres of water.
Wooden walkways have been built from the temple’s gateway and living quarters to give worshippers and monks access to its assembly hall.
The surrounding neighbourhood is also underwater but locals are taking boats and braving the swollen river to make merit at the temple on the opposite bank. Among them are elderly worshippers seen making their way with difficulty across the temple walkway to the hall.
Samlee Chanthongbai, 66, lives in a house atop stilts located opposite the temple. She said her home is perched two metres above ground but floodwaters have almost reached the floor.
She added that she usually rows across the river to make merit at the temple for several days each year. However, flooding is so heavy this year that she has decided to risk making merit on only one day while giving Wan Auk Phansa a miss.
The water level in Bang Pa-in is rising continuously after flow through the Chao Phraya Dam in Chain Nat was increased to 3,113 cubic metres per second following weeks of heavy rain and runoff.
