Bangkok: The Meteorological Department issued its final warning of ‘Storm Wipha’, weakening but still risking flooding in 19 provinces, while the Mekong River rose by almost 2 meters in one day, monitoring the overflowing of the banks.
According to Thai News Agency, the low-pressure area weakening from the tropical depression ‘Wipha’ is covering the upper part of the North. It is expected to weaken further and is likely to move along the monsoon trough that runs across the upper part of the North and upper Laos, extending to Myanmar on 25-26 July.
The provinces expected to be affected by heavy to very heavy rain today are: the North: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, and Kamphaeng Phet; the Northeast: Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, and Ubon Ratchathani; the Central: Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi; and the East: Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Chanthaburi, and Trat.
Flooding in Dok Kham Tai Municipality has not yet subsided. The flood situation in Dok Kham Tai Municipality, Phayao Province, has not improved. The water level is still rising and spreading, inundating villagers’ houses. The water level is between 80 centimeters and 1.20 meters, making it impossible for some villagers to leave their homes. Meanwhile, Phra Wat Phra That Chom Sin has brought water and food to villagers in Ban Pin Subdistrict, Dok Kham Tai District, to help them. Some people have had to evacuate to the office of the Ban Pin Subdistrict Administrative Organization, while some are unable to leave their homes due to the high water level.
While Dok Kham Tai Municipality is currently receiving water from the headwaters of both Nong Lom Subdistrict and Ban Pin Subdistrict, it has gathered in the municipality area, affecting hundreds of houses. In some areas, the water level is high, and villagers are unable to go out and live their normal lives because the water is still high.
The Mekong River rose almost 2 meters in one day, watch out for overflowing the banks. In Nong Khai Province, it has been raining for the third day in a row with no sign of stopping. Meanwhile, the Mekong River flowing through Nong Khai Province was measured at 10.45 meters, an increase of 1.73 meters from yesterday. This is a sudden increase in the water level, below the critical level of 1.75 meters. The banks in Nong Khai City can support water at a level of 12.20 meters, with a rainfall of 5.6 mm.
The province has warned the public to prepare themselves by moving belongings to higher ground, filling sandbags and placing them as barriers along the Mekong River, where Wang Hu Stream, a tributary of the Mekong River, is at risk of overflowing, pushing into drainage pipes and flooding communities. Water pumps have also been installed in risk areas to allow for timely drainage if the Mekong River water level rises.