The owner of a Thai massage shop reports severe flooding in the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar area, significantly impacting local businesses that are forced to cease operations, leading to loss of income and additional repair costs.
On September 26, 2024, it was reported that the Night Bazaar area, an important economic hub on Chang Klan Road, turned into a small river after the Ping River overflowed, flooding the area since the previous night. By that morning, water levels reached 80 centimeters, affecting over 200 establishments, including shops, hotels, and restaurants. Most businesses were unable to take preventive measures in time, leading to water intrusion into their premises.
While water levels at monitoring point P1 by the Nawarat Bridge began to drop from 4.93 meters at 2:00 a.m. to 4.82 meters by 9:00 a.m., the remaining flooding in the Night Bazaar showed no signs of receding.
Suriyaphong Intasom, owner of a massage shop, expressed that the flooding was quite severe. Despite warnings, government assistance was insufficient, as no sandbags were provided to local businesses despite predictions of flooding. Most business owners could not leave their shops to collect sandbags from distant locations.
He acknowledges that this flooding will severely affect businesses, not only due to temporary closures resulting in loss of income but also because of the financial burden of repairs needed to restore their shops. He urges relevant agencies to find relief measures for affected businesses.
According to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, the overall water levels have gradually decreased throughout the morning, with no new influx of water. They expect the situation to improve and the flooding levels to drop, though it remains uncertain when the water will fully recede, potentially taking about two days.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
