BANGKOK, Nov 6 – Flood-related death toll in Thailand rises to 506 and flooding remains in 25 province, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department report on Sunday.
Missing persons remain at two and about 3.1 million people have been affected by the flood crisis.
It was initially assessed that over ten million rai (about four million acres) of farmland have been damaged and about 75 highway routes in ten provinces rendered impassable, the report said.
As flooding has receded in upstream Nakhon Sawan, lower central provinces remain under water.
One of those heavily affected is Nonthaburi, adjacent to Bangkok. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday visited the submerged areas in Nonthaburi.
She was briefed by Nonthaburi governor Wichien Puthiwinyu about a shortage of vehicles to transport people and distribute flood relief supplies.
To solve the problem, the government provided 100 boats to deliver flood relief packs to flood victims still staying in their inundated homes.
The prime minister released a brigade of 100 boats carrying flood relief packs to affected residents, saying the number of boats will be increased to 326 to distribute help to cover areas in Bang Kruai, Bang Yai and Bang Bua Thong districts in Nonthaburi.
She later handed out flood relief items to people staying in their flooded homes and visited local residents taking refuge in a temporary shelter.
Meanwhile, in Bangkok where the flood is slowly advancing deeper southward, Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra on Sunday visited flooded areas in the eastern part of Khlong Sam Wa district, announced as an evacuation area.
As the authorities work to drain northern run-off to eastern and western parts of the capital towards the sea through canal networks, the governor said if there is no more influx of floodwater in northern Bangkok, the existing water – which has already entered the capital – is expected to be drained off from main roads within two weeks. It is likely to take about one month to fully drain water from alleyways, he added.
The Bangkok governor will attend a meeting with the Flood Relief Operations Centre on Monday to discuss water management and obstacles in Bangkok.
