The area surrounding the renowned first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district, Tak, was hit hard by severe flooding on Friday. (Photo: Tha Sai Luat Municipality)
The relentless deluge has transformed the Thai border town of Mae Sot into a watery chaos, with no reprieve in sight until the end of July. The Tha Sai Luat Municipality issued a stern warning to residents residing near the bridge on Thursday night, urging them to stay vigilant as the Moei River’s water level soared ominously. The continuous downpour, paired with rising tides, culminated in widespread flooding across both community and commercial sectors by the early hours of Friday morning.
Come 10 AM, the waters under the bridge had swelled to a daunting height of 1.6 meters, confirmed the municipal officials. This particular area, Tambon Tha Sai Luat, holds significant importance as a bustling hub for cross-border trade between Thailand and Myanmar, lying just opposite Myawaddy town.
Motorists were advised to steer clear of the vicinity unless absolutely necessary, as the Government Public Relations Department’s Tak office cautioned. With many residents scrambling to relocate their belongings to safer, higher ground, traffic congestion grew increasingly problematic. Approximately 100 soldiers, along with a fleet of army trucks, were deployed to lend a helping hand.
As the day progressed, the water level showed no signs of receding. With Mae Sot receiving an incessant influx of water from the Moei River—originating in the Umphang and Phob Phra districts—the situation remained dire over the past three days.
Among the provinces battered by ongoing rainfall, Tak emerged as one of the hardest hit, accumulating a staggering 159 millimeters of rain in just 24 hours. Close on its heels were Kanchanaburi with 123mm and Chanthaburi with 119mm.
The Meteorological Department, along with the Office of the National Water Resources, amplified the alert by forecasting persistent rains for Tak until the month’s end. The region remains on high alert, with potential threats of flash flooding and landslides casting a gloom over the populace’s already mounting worries.
It’s awful that Mae Sot is facing such devastation. Climate change is making natural disasters worse every year.
I’m not convinced climate change is to blame. Floods have always happened.
Yes, but the frequency and intensity of these events have increased, don’t you think?
Absolutely, Sarah. We need more drastic action to tackle climate change.
Agreed! Time to take responsibility for our actions instead of arguing.
I feel for the people who lost everything. Doesn’t the government have any contingency plans for this kind of thing?
You’d think they’d be better prepared, especially in flood-prone areas.
It’s not just the government, people need to be prepared as well.
Any chance this is just bad urban planning and not nature’s fault?
Urban planning is definitely a part of it, but nature doesn’t care about our cities.
We can’t control the weather, but we can control how we build our cities.
True. Sounds like a combination of both.
Sending prayers to those affected.
We can pray, but we also need to act.
What will it take for people to wake up and address climate change seriously?
Sadly, it often takes tragedy for action to happen.
Exactly. But why wait until it’s too late?
It’s frustrating. We need global commitment!
Does anyone know how to donate to help the victims?
I’d love to help, but dealing with floods at home too.
Soldiers should be focused on military tasks, not always disaster relief.
In times of need, they are the best resource we have.
Exactly. Community support is essential.
How many more natural disasters before we take serious action against environmental issues?
Too many. People prefer to ignore long-term issues.
The economic impact on the local trade with Myanmar must be huge. Hope they recover quickly.
Cross-border trade is resilient. They’ll find a way to bounce back.
Hope so. Small businesses usually suffer the most.
Nature is reclaiming its territory!
Lessons to be learned here in terms of preparedness and climate education.
This should be a wake-up call for global environmental policies.
When will we learn that we can’t keep playing with nature? There’s always a cost.