KALASIN: Residents and local government workers in Khong Chai district were reinforcing floodwalls already damaged and leaking in a desperate bid to keep the rain-swollen Chi River from pouring into their communities on Tuesday.
Prasut Hombanthoeng, chief of the district office, was leading the effort in all five tambon of the district on Tuesday, as people laboured to fill sandbags to reinforce the dykes in nine threatened spots and to fix the damaged sections.
The level of the Chi River that runs through the district in this northeastern province continued to rise on Tuesday, and residents feared it will overflow its banks and flood their nearby homes.
The nine floodwalls being strengthened and repaired include a 300 metre stretch along a road in Ban Non Daeng in tambon Lam Chi, and another 200m stretch along a road in Ban Nong Khla in the same tambon, Mr Prasut said.
The district has a flood watch in place around the clock in at-risk areas, to ensure early warning, he said.
Chayapol Thitisak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said Monday that from Oct 10 to 30 more than 120,000 households in 78 districts of 23 provinces had been affected by floods.
He said 111,434 households in 60 districts of 17 provinces were still flooded.
