Flooding in southern Thailand may persist into the new year, with conditions unlikely to improve soon, according to Dr. Royboon Rassameethes, director of the Hydro-Informatics Institute.
Dr. Rassameethes informed Thai PBS that heavy rainfall, measured between 400 and 500mm per day, has recently affected parts of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani, and Songkhla provinces. More rain is expected on December 1st and 2nd, followed by high tides on December 4th, 5th, and 6th, as well as again on December 15th, 16th, and 17th.
He warned that there is a high risk of a repeat of the devastating floods of 2010. Given the likelihood of prolonged flooding, he advised people in the most affected areas to evacuate to shelters.
In response, the Comptroller General’s Department has increased the emergency flood relief fund for six southern provinces from 50 million to 70 million baht each.
Meanwhile, the Pattani provincial hospital is facing a critical shortage of water, with only enough supplies for one more day. The provincial waterworks authority has halted tap water supply after vital equipment for producing potable water broke down due to the floods, as confirmed by Governor Fatima Sadeeyamu. To mitigate this, the hospital has arranged for four 500m³ tankers to deliver water, as it requires at least 500m³ per day. However, access to the hospital has become challenging due to the flooding, with patients needing to rely on drug stores, and only trucks able to reach the facility.
In commercial areas like Makrood Road, where many shops and government buildings are located, floodwaters remain high. Shop owners admitted that they had underestimated the severity of the flooding, moving goods to higher ground that wasn’t high enough to prevent damage, resulting in many spoiled items.
The floods have already claimed lives, with three people reported drowned and one electrocuted across Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Seven hospitals—three in Songkhla and four in Pattani—have been forced to close due to the flooding, as reported by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin.
