Floods force closure of 87 Narathiwat schools

General News - Tuesday December 18, 2007

Floods force closure of 87 Narathiwat schools

Two people drowned and two missing in Yala

POST REPORTERS

Narathiwat _ Education officials have temporarily closed down 87 schools in Narathiwat due to heavy flooding.

The decision to close the schools was made by the directors of three education zones in the province, out of concern for the safety of parents and students if they had to wade through strong currents.

The Meteorological Department said worse was in store for Narathiwat as flood levels keep on rising while the rain shows no signs of stopping.

The latest levels were recorded at between 150 and 230cm, and transport between districts has been cut off.

Eight of the 13 districts have been declared disaster zones.

Heavy rain would continue in the deep South for at least a week, according to the Meteorology Department.

''This is the most severe flood in 10 years,'' said an official.

More than 33,000 villagers in 13 districts have been affected by the floods. Up to 149 roads were inundated while 26 bridges have been damaged.

The worst affected is Sukhirin district as floods have damaged infrastructure there.

Electricity and water supplies as well as telephone lines have been cut off, officials said.

The water level in three rivers in the province has surged, bringing floods to local communities.

The Sungai Kolok river receives water run-off from Malaysia, while the Sai Buri river has spilled over in Sukhirin district.

The 180km Sai Buri river also runs through the neighbouring provinces of Yala and Pattani.

In Yala's Raman district, one villager drowned and another was missing yesterday.

The dead villager was identified as Romla Dimadi, 35. She and her younger brother Sama-ae, now missing, were in front of their house when they were washed away by strong currents.

Meanwhile, in Betong district, Kimman Sae-Jung, 53, also went missing as floods destroyed river banks.

An unidentified villager in the same district was drowned when mountain torrents and mudslides hit the area.

A large number of villagers in Betong's tambon Tanoh Mae Roh were left stranded on their rubber plantations as the floods prevented them from using local roads.

Thousands of villagers in Yala are suffering from severe flooding that has caused officials to declare seven districts disaster zones.

Mudslides, together with fallen electricity poles and trees uprooted by storms, have also blocked many sections of Highway 401 that connects Muang Yala and Betong districts. Officials are struggling to clear the way.

Yala Governor Theera Minthrasak yesterday started distributing necessities to troubled villagers and asked soldiers to help in urgent missions to flooded areas.

Meanwhile, the operators of Bang Lang dam in Yala said yesterday they had to discharge water into the Pattani river as the water level in the reservoir is nearing its capacity.

Nipon Arunsri, an engineer of Bang Lang power plant, said he released 500 cubic metres of water a second into the river.

He warned riverside villages in Yala and Pattani to brace for floods.

Bangkok Post