Flooding in Chiang Mai is still critical after the Ping River flowing through Chiang Mai city rose to record high levels, overflowing into commercial communities, causing the worst flooding in Chiang Mai in decades.
The flooding in Chiang Mai this time is really serious. Waroros Market or Luang Market, an old market of Chiang Mai, connected to Chang Moi Road, including the Flower Market and Ton Lam Yai Market, has been transformed into a floating market after the Ping River overflowed the embankment and flooded since last night. Hundreds of shops in this area were flooded. In some areas, especially Ton Lam Yai Market, which is located on the banks of the Ping River, the water level was more than 1 meter high. Many shops did not have time to pack their belongings because they did not think that the water would rise this high.
In addition, the water that flooded many communities and commercial areas in Chiang Mai city is rising and spreading. In a radius of almost 3 kilometers from the banks of the Ping Rive
r, many roads are flooded so high that small cars have difficulty traveling, such as San Pa Khoi Road, where the water is flooded all the way to the front of Chiang Mai Railway Station, a distance of more than 1 kilometer. The water is more than 1 meter high. Villagers have to hurry to move their belongings and pets out of their homes as much as they can.
Including many other communities in Zones 1-7, Chiang Mai Municipality, some areas are flooded more than 2 meters high. The Ping River has also overflowed to the Chiang Mai-Lampang Superhighway, causing Chiang Mai residents to move their cars to higher ground, causing traffic jams throughout the city after the Ping River level flowing through Chiang Mai rose. Water from the north, including Mae Taeng, Mae Rim, and Chiang Dao, overflowed into the Ping River at a volume of more than 700 cubic meters per second, which is considered the highest Ping River level ever measured, or it could be the biggest flood in Chiang Mai.
Aerial view from the Royal Thai Air F
orce helicopter that took Mr. Thotsapol Phuenudom, Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai Province, to survey the Ping River from the city center to Mae Taeng District. It was found that the Ping River had overflowed and flooded the riverbanks and spread to many areas, including Tambon Kuet Chang, Mae Taeng District, and the Elephant Care Center of the Elephant and Environmental Conservation Center Foundation, which was flooded, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 elephants, dogs, cats, and more than 3,000 disabled and sick animals to safety.
The Ping River flowing through Chiang Mai City is expected to peak at noon today, but will remain high for a while longer because there is still some water from the north. It is expected that it will take at least 3 days for the Ping River to flow back into the river.
Source: Thai News Agency