Officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation are rushing to install large water pumps with a capacity of 28,000 liters per minute along the Kaew Canal, which flows into the Palm Spring Place housing estate in Tha Sala Subdistrict. The aim is to prevent flooding in over 250 homes in the village due to the incoming storm Wipha, which is expected to affect Chiang Mai between July 22nd-24th. Meanwhile, village staff are working together to fill sandbags in preparation for potential use.
This housing estate was one of the areas severely impacted by the Great Chiang Mai Flood of 2024 which caused 100 million baht in damages.
Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Research Center at Chiang Mai University has launched a flood warning system for Chiang Mai’s urban area via the website https://watercenter.scmc.cmu.ac.th/. The system issues alerts when the Ping River overflows its banks and floods urban zones. The system includes flood maps and “Flood Marks,” indicating floodwater levels for at-risk communities at 5,000 locations across flood-prone areas in Chiang Mai and Lamphun. These markers show maximum flood heights measured from road surfaces and compare them to water levels at the P.1 station near Nawarat Bridge. The major flood in October 2024 reached a P.1 reading of 5.30 meters. The system is designed to help people in vulnerable areas prepare and respond effectively to flood risks.
