Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to solve chronic flooding in the South with more sustainable measures, but said the goal is less likely to be achieved without help from both the government and villagers.
The prime minister however, did not elaborate on what the state's "sustainable approach" to flooding in southern provinces would be.
His intention to find a flood solution was announced on Friday, the same day the Meteorological Department warned the southern region will receive impacts from tropical storm Damrey which has hit Vietnam.
The storm made landfall in southern Vietnam, consequently leading to heavy downpours in all 14 southern Thai provinces expected to last until Saturday, said Surat Sirisaiyat, chief of Phuket marine office, citing the warning issued by the meteorological station in the western coast.
This adds fresh worries over flooding in southern provinces including Nakhon Si Thammarat's Pak Phanang district where the prime minister flew to get first-hand information about the flooding there.
The government says it is trying hard to prevent a recurrence of floods like the large one that caused severe damage in the South last year. The initiative was bolstered after His Majesty the King expressed concern for flood victims in 23 provinces that were slammed by heavy downpours last month.
Earlier, Gen Prayut's flight was diverted because of bad weather in nearby Surat Thani as he headed for Nakhon Si Thammarat on his flood inspection trip. He arrived in Nakhon Si Thammarat at 9am.
Two districts in Surat Thani -- Tha Chana and Koh Samui -- have already been hit by heavy rainfall.
Though flooding along parts of a major road on the resort island has receded, the situation in the southern provinces is still under a close watch following the latest warning from the Meteorological Department.
The flood situation has improved a little in the northeastern region. In Khon Kaen, twenty pumps were deployed yesterday to help drain floodwater from areas downstream of Ubonrat dam, particularly in Muang and Nam Phong districts, which have been swamped by discharge from the dam over the past month.
The pumps were installed in flood areas including local sluice gates along waterfront communities in 14 flood-ravaged districts and the D8 Huai Phra sluice gate to drain water that had damaged an earth dyke at 3L-RMC irrigational canal in Ban Khui Pho. The broken dyke led to floods in Muang district.
Phongsak Tangwanichkapong, chairman of the Khon Kaen Provincial Administrative Organisation, said the agency aimed to drain all the water within the next two weeks while local authorities provided help to local villagers as the flood situation improved.
"Officials and flat-bottomed boats are being dispatched to help flood victims around the clock with more than 15,000 relief bags already distributed," he said.
The flooding has eased in some areas of the 14 districts along the Chi River, but authorities remain vigilant in waterside communities along Phong River.
Chayapol Thitisak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said 10 people have died from flood-related causes between Oct 10 and Nov 2.
Twenty-three provinces were affected and more than 100,000 households in 55 districts of 15 provinces remain flooded.
