Bangkok: The Royal Thai Army is accelerating the rehabilitation of flood-affected areas in the North, deploying military engineers to adjust the area for long-term flood prevention.
According to Thai News Agency, Lt. Col. Kanyanat Ponnipatkul, assistant spokesperson of the Royal Thai Army, reported that continuous heavy rains since July 10, 2015, have led to flooding and flash floods inundating houses in the northern provinces of Nan, Phrae, and Uttaradit. General Pana Klaewplodthuk, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, expressed concern for the affected residents and has mobilized military units in the area. These include the 12th Cavalry Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 15th Cavalry Battalion, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 35th Army Circle, 38th Army Circle, 32nd Ranger Regiment Task Force, and Phichai Dab Hak Camp Hospital. The units are tasked with assisting residents by moving belongings to safe areas, facilitating travel, providing consumer goods, and dispatching medical teams to offer health checks, medicine, medical supplies, and advice on diseases related to water exposure.
Despite a decrease in water levels in many areas, army units remain vigilant, continuing to assist in restoring and cleaning houses, communities, and travel routes affected by muddy waters. They also provide medical care to the injured and evaluate mental health to help residents return to normalcy swiftly.
Additionally, the Royal Thai Army is focusing on long-term solutions to the flooding issues in the northern region, in alignment with the Deputy Minister of Defense’s policy. Since April 2015, the Department of Military Engineering and the 3rd Development Division have been tasked with improving the area. Efforts include dredging the Sai and Ruak Rivers and constructing temporary and semi-permanent defense lines in communities such as Ban Hua Fai, Ban Sai Lom Joy, Ban Koh Sai, and Ban Mai Lung Khan, Chiang Rai Province. These measures aim to enhance water drainage capacity and sustainably mitigate the flood impacts, with a target to complete the operations by July 2015.