Hat Yai’s Strategic Recovery: Overcoming Flood Devastation with Resilience

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In the picturesque southern Thai province of Songkhla, the city of Hat Yai found its buzzing streets serenaded not by the usual chorus of bustling shoppers and melodic chatter but by the gentle lap of water encroaching from its boundaries. Last month, two major canals, seemingly conspiring with the heavens above, overflowed, infusing parts of the city outskirts with an uninvited aquatic display.

Miraculously, Hat Yai’s central business district emerged mostly unscathed, like a skilled tightrope walker navigating a torrential tightrope. The cost of the province’s watery visitor, however, is staggering, with damages estimated beyond four billion baht. Yet, while the tangible costs tower high, the intangible losses, entrenched in disrupted trade, are shadowy figures yet to be calculated, as remarked by the candid Mr. Songpol Chansiriwathanathamrong, the perceptive president of Songkhla’s chamber of commerce.

With water-induced chaos permeating across 533 villages and affecting the lives of over 540,000 people, it’s clear the drizzle turned deluge had quite the mischievous agenda. Mr. Songpol reflected back to 2010, drawing attention to a time when floods mercilessly struck Hat Yai’s commercial heart, causing over ten billion baht in damage. Back then, nothing was spared. But this time, Klong Phuminartdamri, a vigilant protector, diligently channeled about 1,200 cubic meters of water per minute away from city life, effectively keeping the floodwaters at bay.

In a strategic maneuver, the chamber of commerce is rallying to present a series of support plans to the government. They envisage a debt repayment hiatus extending from three to six months to offer a breather to those grappling with waterlogged lives. Additionally, they propose soft loans to help residents rebuild not just their homes and businesses but their confidence as well. As Mr. Songpol astutely noted, “Without debt repayment suspension, non-performing loans will spike,” a tide no less dangerous than a flood itself.

Meanwhile, amid the tranquil rise and fall of Hat Yai’s tourism tides, Mr. Sitthipong Sitthipataraprapa, the chairman of Hat Yai’s hoteliers association, voiced a lament echoing through cancelled reservations and unclaimed bookings. Potential revenues, calculated to be around 300-400 million baht, were lost thanks to the flooding. As sheets of rainfall descended, so too did hopes of bustling hotels and thriving events. He proposed income tax deductions for local workers and property tax reductions as a beacon of relief for flood victims—a call to arms for governmental intervention.

Adding vigor to these urgent requests, Korakot Tetiranon, representing chambers of commerce across Surat Thani, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, and Songkhla, rallied for immediate relief measures aimed at small-and-medium-sized enterprises, a crucial backbone for the local economy. Across these coated lands, the pitter-patter whispers of impending heavier rain posed an ominous threat.

Stretching its vigilant arm over the unfolding drama, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation highlighted the gravity of the floods. Affecting 664,173 households in an expansive 87 districts across 10 southern provinces, the torrents did not just reshape the landscape but claimed the lives of 31 individuals between Nov 22 and Dec 8. Yet, pockets of persistence prevailed as residual floods still challenged parts of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, and Pattani, though signs of improvement trickled through.

With rescue officials and equipment such as water pumps and evacuation vehicles poised like unsung heroes ready at the gate, Songkhla continues to balance hope on a pin’s edge. As the province recovers its breath and anticipates kinder skies, it stands resilient, buoyed by community spirit and fortified by the indomitable will to rebuild.