The lower Mekong Basin, along with Laos’ Bolikhamsai province, has been in the throes of an unusually high accumulation of rainfall. This situation has precipitated extremely scarce leeway for overflow, causing the National Water Command Centre to raise the flood alarm as early as Wednesday evening.
The Centre issued pressing alerts to those residing in the beautiful provinces of Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, and Ubon Ratchathani. Those who live in close proximity to the charming but now dangerous shores of the Mekong River were given explicit warnings to brace themselves for potential flooding, expected from August 10 to 15.
Such is the level of alarm that the illustrious governors of these scenic provinces have started admonishing residents hailing from some villages to not only prepare for evacuations but also to seek refuge on higher grounds.
In the wake of such ominous warnings, the quaint Nong Khai’s Muang district, nestled by the Mekong River, saw the water level escalate to an alarming 11.35 metres on Thursday. Credited as the highest level recorded in the current year, the Hydrological Survey Centre of the province reported the unsettling news. The Centre added the foreboding note that water levels have been surging upward at a staggering speed of three to five centimetres per hour since the previous day.
In an unfortunate turn of events that seems to validate these warnings, over 1,000 rai of plantation land nestled in the low-lying areas of Nong Khai’s Tha Bo district is already in the grips of inundation. This unexpected disaster occurred in the aftermath of the Mekong River drastically breaching its natural bounds, according to provincial officials.
In a bid to mitigate escalating damage, seven water gates were shut down to deter the rampant flood waters from entering the downtown heart of Nong Khai city. In addition, pumps had been promptly dispatched to the areas most susceptible to floods. Nong Khai city, exuding historical charm while being perched on the southern edge of the Mekong River, mirrors Vientiane in Laos per the geographical design.
The water levels of the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom’s Muang district escalated to an unsettling 10.9 metres, a mere 1.6 metres shy of the risky level.
An unrelenting downpour for 16 days straight in Bueng Kan has not only hampered the drainage system but has also set up the grim scenario of flash floods that could spell disaster for 20,000 rai of paddy fields
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