Phumtham” confirms that the first lump sum of 5,000 baht per family will be paid as soon as possible, reducing the process from 30 days to 5 days. He revealed that he needs high-pressure water sprayers to quickly clear the mud by 29 Sep. He admitted that the police arrested volunteers to help with the flooding because they were concerned that the excess weight would be dangerous. From now on, they will coordinate better.
Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, announced the results of the second meeting of the Operations Center for Flood, Storm and Landslide Relief (OCRR) that all government agencies are now ready and are using all equipment to perform their duties to the fullest. However, this sudden flood, mudslide, and flood is not like the previous ones. It reflects the changes in nature, causing changes in storms and weather channels. Therefore, we must cope. Importantly, this flood has never happened before and has left behind mud, which is very severe in Chiang Rai. T
he problem after the flood is the mud on the roads, alleys, and people’s houses. We are planning to integrate it. At this time, it is the transition period when the Chiang Rai governor is about to retire. Therefore, the Ministry of Interior has sent Mr. Arsit Sampantharat, the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, and Mr. Chaiwat Junthiraphong, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), to the center to coordinate with all relevant parties. As for fresh food, And the problem of relief bags is enough, but now we need something to restore and manage the mud, which requires mud suction trucks, water trucks, high pressure water sprayers and manpower. At this time, we have coordinated with various units to clear the main road first, then enter the alleys to help the villagers. Otherwise, there will be difficulty in using small equipment to enter the area, with each ministry being assigned responsibility to clearly divide the areas.
For house restoration, one ho
use has 1-2 meters of mud. It takes about 30 people to do the work. At the moment, there are volunteers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Village Defense Volunteers, the military, and good prisoners from the Department of Corrections coming to help. There are also private foundations coming to help. But what is needed at the moment are tools such as hoes, picks, high-pressure water sprayers, backhoes, and Kubota trucks because if this mud is left in the pipes and in the house for a long time, it will turn into limestone.
In addition, I would like all parties to take notes as lessons because we will have to face this situation again. Therefore, we must prepare various equipment to support us. After this, there will be further discussions. As for tomorrow, Ms. Paengtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister, and the relevant Deputy Prime Ministers will travel to Chiang Rai and stay overnight to learn about the situation and solve problems in the area. The next day, the Prime Minister will
travel to Chiang Mai Province, while other Deputy Prime Ministers will spread out to the area. I and Mr. Prasert Chantarawongthong, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society, will travel to Lampang Province to inspect the dam. Brother, the water level is currently critical.
The warning system is now much better than before. It can warn people directly via SMS or phone call. In addition, the NBTC meeting appointed Mr. Plodprasop Suraswadi as an advisor to the NBTC because he needs technical knowledge, and Mr. Jirayu Huangsap as a spokesman for the NBTC to disseminate information.
For the compensation payment, tomorrow (September 27), after the Prime Minister visits the area, he will give more concrete orders. The 3 billion baht that the Cabinet approved has been transferred to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, but there are still problems with the regulations on the use of the money, which will reduce the process from 30 days to 5 days. The first lump sum will be paid to each
family of 5,000 baht, which governors can pay immediately because there is already a budget of 200 million baht per province. Initially, they will try to pay everyone first. Then, they will consider further.
Mr. Phumtham also explained the appointment of Mr. Arsit to oversee the Chiang Rai area, saying that it was because the Chiang Rai governor was sick and about to retire, so he tried not to have any gaps. Even though he was able to perform his duties, he was not fully committed, so he resolved his weaknesses by having Mr. Anutin help solve the problems. Therefore, the center is now the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. As for the private sector that came to help, he asked for clear coordination because some of the trucks that were mobilized to help were illegal, such as overloading the trucks, which could be life-threatening. Therefore, he asked that it be in accordance with legal regulations.
As for the case of volunteers who brought vehicles to help with the floo
ding, when they returned they were arrested by the Highways Department and the police and prosecuted, Mr. Phumtham said that in the meeting, there was a discussion that they wanted to coordinate first in bringing equipment to help so that there would be no duplication. Instead of helping, the equipment ended up being piled up together, which became an obstacle to the work. In addition, sometimes the equipment brought was overweight, which made the highway police concerned because it could cause danger and affect other people using the road. Therefore, they would like to look at the law carefully and ask for help in facilitating and solving the problem during this crisis by finding a joint solution.
Regarding the flood situation in Chiang Mai, Mr. Phumtham said that tomorrow (27 September), there will be a proposal to the Prime Minister to solve the problem, which the Provincial Police Region 5 Command is happy to return the area to make the water drainage more efficient. Where there are bridges or potholes b
locking the way, the bridges will be lifted. When the water flows more efficiently, the overflowing in the city will decrease. They will work against time to prevent future problems and cover all areas. In Mueang District, Chiang Rai Province, the project is scheduled to be completed by 29 September 2024. As for Mae Sai District, the project is divided into 5 zones and is scheduled to be completed within 30 days, or around 20 October 2024.
In the Northeast, the situation is not yet critical, but the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Second Army are already taking care of it.
Source: Thai News Agency