People in Thai North brace for floods

CHIANG MAI, September 5 (TNA) - People in the Thai North have remained on alert to cope with inundations, after Lampang and Phrae Provinces were hit by flash floods earlier this week in the wake of heavy downpours over the past week. In Chiang Mai Province, water levels of the Ping River have kept rising, prompting local communities on the riverside to stay alert around the clock for possible flash floods. In Lamphun Province, a yellow flag has been raised in Pasang District to warn local people of possible floods, especially those living near waterways, as water levels of the Ta River have been approaching a critical level and several streets have now been damaged by heavy downpours. In Lampang Province, where seven districts were hit by flash floods earlier this week, local villagers and some 1,200 rais of farmlands have already been affected, prompting provincial and communities' leaders to speed up inspecting and clearing waterways so that floodwater will be drained into the main Wang River as soon as possible. However, train services have been resumed in Lampang, after workers have completed repairing an over 30-metre section of a railroad between Baan Pang Puay and Baan Pha Khan Stations in Mae Moh Distirct which had damaged by the flash floods. In Pichit Province in the Lower Thai North, local farmlands and villages of Wang Sai Poon District have now been hit by flash floods from Petchabun Mountain Range due to accumulated downpours recently. (TNA)