12-9-2024 (BANGKOK) Residents along the Mekong River in northeastern Thailand’s Loei province have been issued an urgent evacuation alert as water levels rise precipitously, threatening to breach the riverbanks. The warning, issued Thursday morning by Pak Chom District Chief Yossawat Patcharasaksakul, underscores the growing concern over potential widespread flooding in the region.
In a statement posted on the district office’s Facebook page, Patcharasaksakul urged riverside inhabitants to take immediate action, emphasising the need to relocate valuable possessions, particularly electrical appliances, to higher ground. The district chief’s warning comes in response to a combination of factors contributing to the dangerous water levels.
Recent days have seen relentless downpours in the area, significantly increasing the volume of water in the Mekong. Compounding this local precipitation is the influx of floodwaters from upstream in Chiang Rai province, further north. This dual onslaught of water has created a precarious situation for communities along the river’s course.
The current crisis is not isolated to Loei province. Reports indicate that heavy rainfall in neighbouring Myanmar has caused the Sai River to overflow, leading to flooding in the border town of Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai. The Sai River’s waters feed into the Ruak River, which in turn joins the Mekong, creating a domino effect of rising water levels along the entire river system.
This developing situation highlights the interconnected nature of Southeast Asia’s waterways and the regional impact of localised weather events. It also underscores the vulnerability of riverside communities to sudden environmental changes and the crucial importance of early warning systems.
