Highway Cut Off in Mae Hong Son After Storm Kajiki

MAE HONG SON, Aug 28 (TNA) – Following the passage of storm Kajiki, several provinces in northern Thailand have been impacted by flash floods, with Highway 108 in Mae Hong Son province completely cut off.

Large piles of logs and trees remain along the roadside after floodwaters receded. The Provincial Administration Organization has deployed heavy machinery to clear the debris and reopen the road, though motorists are advised to proceed with caution.

The provincial governor, along with other government officials, surveyed the damage and found that a section of the Highway 108 bridge over the Mae Ja stream was completely washed away by the flash flood. This has rendered the road impassable to all vehicles.

Authorities have requested a temporary Bailey bridge from the Bridge Construction and Restoration Center in Phichit province. Engineers from the center are set to inspect the damage and install the prefabricated steel bridge. If there are no further delays, the temporary bridge is expected to be open to traffic by Monday, September 1.

Meanwhile, in Sukhothai province, the water level in the Yom River has risen to 8 meters at the Y4 monitoring station in front of the provincial governor’s residence, with a flow rate of 441 cubic meters per second, causing flooding in Sukhothai Thani municipality.

At 4 a.m. this morning, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation issued a warning to residents after water from the Yom River began seeping under a flood barrier in the Khuha Suwan community. The water has since inundated homes in the area.

This is the second time this area has flooded, after a similar incident in late July. The river’s current eroded the ground beneath the barrier, creating a wide opening. Despite previous repairs using over 100 big bags to reinforce the wall, the powerful current once again breached the weakened point, allowing floodwaters to pour into the community. -819 (TNA)