Flooding expands to Pichit

PICHIT, September 12 (TNA) - Flooding in Thailand's lower northern areas, particularly those in Sukhothai Province, has been expanding into Pichit Province, where three districts have already been declared flood-stricken disaster zones. Pichit Governor Suwit Watcharotayangkura acknowledged on Wednesday that many districts near the Nan and Yom Rivers have been affected by floods, as the province is situated in a lower plain than its neibouring provinces, and that three districts having been declared flood-hit disaster zones include Saak-lek, Wang Sai Poon and Tub Khlo, comprising 52 villages, so that immediate assistance for flood victims can be provided by concerned agencies. However, flooding overnight in communities surrounding the heart of Thailand's central Ayutthaya Province, caused by overflows of local canals, after heavy downpours with a temporary but widespread blackout, has been receding to normal, with officials surveying damage in order to provide further assistance for those affected. Meanwhile, authorities in provinces flooded late last year are preparing for, probably, repeated flooding this year, as heavy downpours are increasing the amount of water from the Thai North. People in Bang Pla Ma District of the central Suphan Buri Province, for instance, are making sandbags to protect the old Roi Pee Kao Hong Market and local communities, with water pumps installed and villagers taking turn to monitor rising levels of the Tha Chin River.(TNA)