Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has instructed agencies to step up relief measures to help flood victims in flood-ravaged provinces in the North, especially Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, as quickly as possible.
The PM, together with Deputy PM and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and some other officials, visited flood victims in Chiang Rai on September 13.
At an urgent meeting of cabinet ministers to discuss relief measures on September 12, she assigned the Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to handle evacuating people and livestock, local media reported.
The Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, and the Public Health Ministry were ordered to look after people at evacuation centres and provide medical supplies, while the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry must ensure sufficient food supplies for livestock.
The Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Royal Thai Police are jointly responsible for looking after locals' properties and households during the flooding.
The Interior Ministry and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry will work together to strengthen flood embankments and improve drainage systems, while the Department of Mineral Resources was also instructed to speed up work on warning systems in high-risk areas.
Highlighting the need to set up enough temporary shelters and kitchens to prepare food for evacuees, Paetongtarn said when the flood situation eases, agencies will assess damage to infrastructure and utility systems, gather complaints from locals, and repair damaged houses and structures. She also assigned the Interior Ministry, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, and the Office of the National Water Resources to come up with long-term solutions to flood problems.
Speaking after the meeting, Paetongtarn said she has received regular updates on severe flooding in the North, particularly in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. The government will allocate funds from the central budget's emergency fund to help flood victims.
Anyone who wants to make donations to support relief efforts can do so via the Office of the PM's Disaster Relief Fund, she added.
In Myanmar, at least 19 people have died after Typhoon Yagi brought heavy rain and flooding in and around the capital Naypyitaw. Rescuers said they had to use boats to evacuate about 3,600 people to safer areas.
Satellite images showed that about 162 sq.km of the area around Naypyitaw was flooded on September 12, while 366 sq.km around Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, also appeared to be under water.
Rescue forces said they has rescued and evacuated over 3,600 people in 30 flood-affected areas./.
