Floods remain in several southern Thai areas

NARATHIWAT, November 28 (TNA) - The flooding situation in several southern Thai areas has become stable, but affected local people have remained in troubles. In Narathiwat Province, floodwater has remained at 1.5-1.8 metres deep, inundating over 1,000 houses near the Sungai Kolok River with affected villagers being running out of clean drinking water. In Songkhla Province, flooding in eight districts, earlier declared flood-hit disaster zones, has been receding, but floodwater has remained in areas near the Songkhla Lake and the Rabainam Ro 1 Canal, including in Thamen of Bangklam District, due to high tides, prompting locals to have used sandbags to protect their properties, but the flooding has even damaged some rubber plantations. In Trang Province, floodwater levels have risen by 30-80 centimetres in low-lying Bangrak and Nongtrud localities of Muang District, although flooding has been receding in other areas and local schools have been reopened. Meanwhile, Songkhla's disaster prevention and mitigation office has issued a fresh warning for people in southern Thai provinces to brace for possible floods, windstorms and landslides, as a northeastern monsoon will be gaining its power in the Gulf of Thailand and the southern Thai region early next month. (TNA)