Flood warning for Lamphun as Chiang Mai cleanup expands

The post-flood cleanup in Chiang Mai municipality was expanded as the water continued to recede on Tuesday, but riverside communities in adjoining Lamphun province were warned of an approaching deluge.
The big cleanup in Chiang Mai on Tuesday was underway in 10 areas along or close to the Ping River, including downtown Waroros central market and the Night Bazaar, both popular with locals and tourists. 
The cleanup started on Monday in the wake of the city’s worst flooding in memory last week, which saw the Ping River rise to a record 5.3 metres deep at the Naowarat monitoring station on Saturday.
The Ping has continued to drop and Chiang Mai Municipality lowered the alert level from red to orange on Monday when the river fell below 4.25 metres. At 10am on Tuesday, the Ping was at 3.45 metres at the Naowarat monitoring station.
As the flooding situation continues to improve in Chiang Mai, officials in neighbouring Lamphun on Tuesday morning warned people living along or near the Kuang River to move valuables and essential items to safe areas, as the waterway was rising and approaching crisis point.
“Urgent. The water level of the Kuang River at the Tha Nang Bridge today has reached a critical point. People should move belongings to high ground for safety,” the Lamphun Public Relations Office announced.
The Kuang, which flows past Lamphun municipality, was 4.91 metres deep at 10am at the Tha Na Bridge in Muang district, less than 10 centimetres short of the critical stage. The Kuang later merges with the Ping in Lamphun’s Pa Sang district.
Almost 29,000 households in seven districts of Chiang Mai were affected by last week’s flooding, largely due to the rising Ping, and 1,720 households in Lamphun province, according to the latest report of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department issued on Tuesday.