PM reassures residents in flood-hit North

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Saturday assured flood-weary residents of Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai that everything would return to normal in the North’s hardest-hit area by Nov 1.
Wrapping up a two-day visit to the North to inspect flood damage and recovery work, the prime minister also called in on neighbouring Chiang Mai province, where conditions continue to improve.
Upon arriving in Mae Sai on Saturday, Ms Paetongtarn was briefed by officials from the Royal Thai Army Engineering Department before being escorted to two villages, Ban Ko Sai and Ban Pha Chom, to see how reconstruction work is progressing.
During the ride, the PM told reporters she expected 24 main roads and the Sailom Joy Market, a border market severely affected by floods, to be fully repaired in about 45 days.
She said 64 houses were destroyed by this year’s seasonal floods, and their owners are eligible to receive financial compensation, which the government is speeding up handling.
She also visited flood victims whose houses still were covered with mud.
Tan Hongkham, 80, burst into tears when she saw the PM, saying she wouldn’t have thought she would see Ms Paetongtarn in person in such a situation.
The premier assured the old woman that many soldiers and others were working against time to get everything back to its previous state before flooding.
At Wat Phrom Wihan, a temple in tambon Wiang Phang Kham in Mae Sai, the PM pledged preliminary financial assistance to victims, including four families that had suffered losses.
Ms Paetongtarn has assigned Deputy Interior Minister Theerarat Samrejvanich to head a forward command to coordinate and accelerate the remaining recovery work, which she hopes will be completed in 30 days.
Before returning to Bangkok on Saturday, the prime minister presented financial assistance and flood relief bags to a number of people at Wat Sat Luang in Muang district of Chiang Mai.
Officials have divided flood-affected areas in Chiang Mai into seven drainage zones, according to Atthawit Nakwatchara, director of the local Royal Irrigation Department office.
Even though floodwaters have vastly subsided in most parts of Chiang Mai’s city centre, certain low-lying areas still need water pumps to help drain water off, especially in the southern part of the province, he said.
In the Central Plains, meanwhile, the Chao Phraya Dam increased its water discharge rate to 1,899 cubic metres per second on Saturday, a record for this time of year.
As a result, three villages along the Phong Pheng Canal in the Pa Mok district of Ang Thong province, which is connected to the Chao Phraya River, were suddenly flooded early on Saturday morning.
Water levels there were measured between 40 and 50 centimetres.
In Ayutthaya, as water in the Chao Phraya was on the verge of overflowing the flood wall at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the iconic temple in Ayutthaya Historical Park, local authorities rushed to raise the wall’s height further.
Many residents in tambon Ban Kum in Bang Ban district of Ayutthaya found their communities under a metre of water overnight.
In Sukhothai, at least three parts of the flood wall along the Yom River broke, damaging several communities and fruit plantations in the Sawankhalok district.
According to the latest update by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 32,973 households in 18 provinces have been affected by floods since Aug 16.
In more bad news on the weather front, the Meteorological Department on Saturday warned that volatile weather is expected to bring strong winds and torrential rain to areas in the North, Central Plains, Bangkok and surrounding provinces until Thursday.