Southern Thailand battered by floods

SONGKHLA, January 2 (TNA) - Several districts, including Hat Yai, known as shopping paradise for tourists, in the southern province of Songkhla bordering Malaysia, are now inundated following heavy downpours as people have to move valuable effects to higher ground. Water overflowed Khlong U Tapao, the main canal in Hat Yai, and inundated several nearby community areas and roads while both inbound and outbound of Phet Kasem Road were under deep floodwater. Small vehicles had to avoid using heavily flooded Phet Kasem Road and were forced to use two other roads instead. Houses on the outskirts of Hat Yai, including a school and a temple, were under approximately 50 centimetre-high floodwater while people instead of celebrating New Year’s Day had rush in moving their personal effects to higher ground. More than 1,000 farming families had suffered as water in some flooded areas were as high as one metre. Irrigation officials of Songkhla had been pumping floodwater from two canals, including U Tapao, into Songkhla Lake in an attempt to assist the victims. Meanwhile, heavy downpours plus water runoff from Banthad mountain range caused villages in Kong Ra district of Phatthalung province to be under water of nearly two metres. A road linking two villages in the province was also about 50 centimetres under floodwater, forcing villagers to travel by boat to buy dried food and water for consumption. (TNA)